


Second Chances

by MisaxMisa



Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: BAMF Cloud Strife, Fix-It, M/M, Minor Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough, SOLDIER Cloud Strife, Sane Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Young Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Zack Fair & Cloud Strife Friendship, Zack Fair & Sephiroth Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2020-10-20 02:20:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20667704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisaxMisa/pseuds/MisaxMisa
Summary: When it turns out everything they went through wasn’t enough to save the planet, Cloud gets the chance to prevent the end of the world - only this time, he knows exactly what he’s doing. Sort of.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone - welcome to my FFVII Time Travel Fix-it Fic. I wanted to be upfront about that off the bat, because I know they’ve been done to death, but they’re my favourite! And with the remake looming, I thought I’d finally try my hand at a FFVII story of my own. Please review, kudos and whatever else :3

“You’re doing it again.”

Cloud jerked his attention from his now empty bowl to Tifa, who was sitting across from him. He’d totally zoned out. He couldn’t even remember finishing his meal and, based on the bemused twinkle in Tifa’s eyes, she knew it too. Marlene and Denzel were looking at him too, suppressing their giggles. 

He had the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry, I know I said I wouldn’t do that anymore.”

Tifa shook her head and stood, reaching across the table to get his dishes. “Why change the habit of a lifetime?” She joked, retreating to the kitchen. Over her shoulder, she said to the kids, “Finish your dinner and do your homework. Then we can talk about the cake that Cloud brought home.”

That had the kids shovelling away at what was left in front of them. A portion of the hearty stew Tifa had prepared for the patrons visiting g the bar tonight. Mouth still full and chewing noisily, Marlene hopped off her chair at the table and flung her arms around his neck in thanks, before scurrying off after her caretaker with her dish. As always, Denzel was more subdued, but he had a huge grin on his face. 

“Thanks Cloud, you’re the best!”

Cloud gave him a small smile as he too left him at the table, but it dropped off his face quickly when he was left alone. It was true that, since the Geostigma scare a year ago, he’d made a more conscious effort to be present, but he still didn’t feel particularly worthy of any praise from the children he helped to care for. 

He sighed, and made his own way into the kitchen, picking up a dishcloth and silently joining Tifa and to dry the dishes. After a while of quiet, she spoke quietly. “So, what were you thinking about?”

He gave her a sidelong look to judge her mood. She was still smiling, her eyes on her work. He gave a noncommittal shrug, “Just the job I’ve got in for tomorrow. I think it’s going to take a couple of days to get there and back again.”

She hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe while you’re in the West, you can say hi to Barrett for us. I’m sure Marlene would love to send something his way.”

He thought about the logistics of the extra stop. It wouldn’t be that much effort to go to Corel from Costa del Sol - an extra day or two overall travelling on Fenrir at worst, but nothing was really worse when he got to go out on this beloved motorcycle. And Marlene so rarely got to see her adoptive father these days, he could surely take the time to pass something on between them. “Sure, it’s not a problem.”

She dried her hands and put one on his shoulder. At one point, a casual touch would have had him flinching away, but he’d went to great pains to not reacted to a touch, no matter how little he wanted it. Tifa knew this, and used it sparingly. Only when she wanted to get a point across, or bring him back to the here and now. “Thank you, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you too.”

Cloud grimaced. “Yeah, if that involves telling me I’m getting fat and that I don’t visit often enough.”

Tifa giggled and took her hand back, gliding past him. “Barrett is Barrett, it wouldn’t be the same if he wasn’t.”

Cloud huffed a little but said nothing more, finishing his work as Tifa went out to the bar to set up for the night. 

****

Finally tucked away in his room, he switched off the light and striped off his clothes, crawling into his bed. The lights of the city illuminated his room, giving everything an orange tinge. He could hear the odd clinking of glasses as Tifa cleared up downstairs and drunk passers by every so often, but otherwise everything was quiet.

He stared out of the window, his curtains wide open. Most of his view was other buildings, but he could see patches of sky here and there. It was a dark void in his vision, as no stars could be seen from Edge, just like Midgar. The lights of the city, though dull, drowned them out. 

He’d always struggled with sleeping, for as far back as his true memory allowed. He couldn’t trust anything he thought he knew from before that day in Nibelheim, unsure what was his memory, or his friends. 

Regardless though, most of his nights were spent awake, or in a fitful state of rest. He had thought he had made some progress with coming to terms with his past, as his nightmares had reduced in their frequency and intensity. The reprieve was temporary. The waning of his horror had gave way to another. After, he could never make make sense of the images he saw - they slipped through his fingers like sand - but the emotions left in its wake were enough to prove that whatever it was, it was not good.

As if to compound that, away from the lull of day to day life and the the distractions provided by others, Cloud had the sense of an increasing feeling of wrongness, growing stronger with every passing day. 

It wasn’t the kind of feeling that had his hair prickling, or had him searching the shadows for unknown foes. It was just a feeling that something was not right. 

“I will never just be a memory.”

Cloud shivered and turned over in his bed, putting the window at his back. 

Whenever something seemed remotely out of whack, Cloud couldn’t help but think of him. His words a promise that rung in his ears. 

But this didn’t feel like a return of the Great Sephiroth. For one, there hadn’t been any warning before. When Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz had shown up, they’d been as much of a surprise to Cloud as they had been to everyone else. 

And the first time... he frowned, the memories of the day Sephiroth went made blurred around the edges, an amalgamation of both his and Zack’s experiences. Well, the only warning had been when Sephiroth started talking about Gods and all the rest. He pushed the memories away as quickly as they’d came, not willing to linger on that time of his life for any longer than necessary. 

No, it was safe to say that this feeling was new and entirely unexplained, which made Cloud entirely lost. 

Taking a deep breathe, Cloud settled himself into the mattress. None of these thoughts even remotely helped with this feeling of wrongness and only served to put him on edge. 

He closed his eyes and focused on nothing but his breathing, trying to prevent himself from thinking on the matter further. He had an early start in the morning, and Tifa has sent him to rest instead of helping clean up, despite his protests. 

As he concentrated on his breathing, in and out, sleep slowly took him. For the first time in months, he dreamt of a field full of yellow and white flowers. 

****

Getting off the boat in Costa del Sol was just like always. Dock workers shouting and running around, dealing with their new cargo, as Cloud slowly rolled off the ship. He sat on Fenrir as it purred, the engine idling as he pushed himself along the boardwalks.

Strife Delivery Service was made much easier by knowing the head of the World Regenesis Organisation. He could get on and off whatever ship came by, though more often than not he’d wait for a cargo ship. Less civilians to stop and stare at him whenever he moved around outside of his cabin. The dock workers at both ports were used to him quietly slipping through, and were no longer enamoured by his presence, with the exception of new employees on occasion. In fact, he could tell he irritated them some days, as him disembarking sometimes caused a holdup with the cargo, and they had a quota to fill. 

Rather than bask in the glory, Cloud had turned his back on the limelight that saving the world (twice at that) had offered, and Reeve Tuesti had respected that wish. Unfortunately, that still didn’t mean he wasn’t recognised. AVALANCHE had caused enough commotion during their travels around the world that people did know them, and people talked. Children were told stories of what almost was, and about the hero that swooped in and saved everyone from certain doom. 

Hero. 

The only hero he knew had been left in the bluffs outside of Midgar, gunned down by people he had fought alongside once, in a bid to ensure Cloud’s freedom. Zack was the only true hero in this messed up world. 

As was his way before any long journey, he’d visited that spot, at the edge of the cliff overlooking the waste land left by ShinRa’s excessive Mako use, where he’d once marked the grave with the Buster Sword. 

That now lived in the church, in the desolate Slums of Sector 5. Despite it being in Midgar, it meant that what was left of Zack would be with what was left of Aerith. The little flower garden, now left to grow wild around the pool she had created with Great Gospel, was at odds with such a large and dangerous weapon, but then, so had Aerith been to Zack. 

He didn’t really visit the church anymore himself. The miracle of the cure for Geostigma drew people from all around the world to come and pray to the Planet, and it was no longer his quiet safe space.

He didn’t mind too much. Aerith had given up so much for the world, that it felt right for people to give thanks, even if they didn’t realise who to. 

He had his lonely cliff. 

As he made it on to the main strip, he revved his engine. Fenrir responded to his lightest touch, anyone growling to life as accelerated. His first delivery was to one of his regulars, so he picked his way expertly through the streets, swerving to avoid absent minded truck drivers and pedestrians. He came to a stop outside of a small store, nestled between some houses. He kicked out his stand and propped the bike up by the curb, gracefully dismounting with well-practised ease. 

The bell above the shop door tinkled as he entered, and a voice from the back wafted into the room. 

“Just a minute! Steal anything and your dead!”

Cloud smirked and propped his hip against the counter with his arms crossed, eyeing the odd assortment of goods that filled the shop. He’d gotten used to the odd contents, a mix of anything from home decor to discounted electrical items. When the man in question appeared, he was carrying a box full of what looked like heavy ornaments. His salt and pepper beard and hair seemed to meld into one giant, curly mane and his craggy face was contorted with concentration. 

He huffed as he placed the box down carefully on the counter and wiped his brow with a filthy cloth. Cloud fought the urge to grimace. 

“Well would ya looky here! Wasn’t expecting you for another day.”

Cloud shrugged. “It was ready, so why wait?”

His laugh was booming as Cloud fished a package out of his messenger bag and handed it over, waiting expectantly for his payment. “You’re right there lad! That’s why I use you.”

Cloud took the Gil he was offered and leafed through it, counting as the man began to retreat to the back again. “Hey, you gave me too much.” He said before he could go. 

“Ah, keep it.”

Cloud frowned, but said nothing more as ducked quickly out of the store and back into the sunlit streets. He wasnt in the business of overcharging for what services were worth, but he also wouldn’t argue if someone chose to pay him more. He pulled his PHS out of his pocket and hit speed dial. 

After a few rings, someone picked up. “7th Heaven!”

“Hey Tifa.”

“Oh Cloud! You’ve made your delivery already?”

He swung his leg back over his bike, but didn’t turn it on yet. “Yeah, weather was on our side over the ocean so...” He glanced at the clock on his phone screen before putting it back to his ear. “Figure I’ll head straight to Corel now. I should get there just after sundown if I do.”

“Or you could always enjoy the beach and the sun? Get a bit of a tan.”

He deadpanned at the smirk he could hear in her voice. “Right, yeah, we know how well that worked out last time.”

She openly laughed then. “Well, I did tell you to wear sunscreen. You might be enhanced, but you’re pale as a sheet, of course you’d burn!”

He humphed down the phone at her, remembering the ‘family’ holiday they had last year, but he couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth curling up at her laugh. “I’ve learned my lesson.”

Her laugh subsided and she sighed down the line. “Well okay, stay safe.”

“I always do. See ya.”

He snapped the phone closed and tucked it into his pocket, turning the key to his ignition and kicking the bike back into gear. He pulled his bike goggles out of his bag and put them on, ready to tackle his cross country destination. With a delicate flick of his wrist, Fenrir took off, its telltale roar blending into to the wind as he picked up speed. Within minutes, he’d broken through the end of the town and into the open land of the Western Continent. 

This was his favourite thing about his job. Riding, driving in the country, the wind wiping at his blonde spikes as he pushed his speed higher and higher. It was hard for him to find something that exhilarating. 

As he drove on, he could see some Dual Horns lumbering in the distance, heading towards the dirt path that served as a road to Corel. They were a little too close to Costa del Sol for his liking. Hitting a button on the dash, panels on Fenrir sprung open, revealing his weapon. He pulled out the assembled Fusion Sword easily and changed direction and quickly closing the distance between them. 

The sound of him approaching alerted the monsters to his presence, but it made no difference as he swung his sword cleaved the first of them in two. The remaining three roared, charging after him as he banked and made a sharp left turn, dirt and rocks spraying as his wheel dug in. The creatures were too slow to change their momentum and Cloud shot a powerful Firaga spell behind him. He pulled his bike into a skid and stopped to watch as the Dial Horn closest to him staggered and dropped to the floor, completely overcome by the inferno. The other two had backed away, shaking away the flames that had covered them. They were weakened, but not ready to give up. With a roar to rival Bahumut, they charged at him with all of their speed. Cloud smirked, there was just enough room. His wheel spun in the dirt as he did a 180 and sped towards them matching their speed. Letting go of the wheel and letting Fenrir maintain its own balance, he split his word in one quick movement, just in time to slash at both monsters as he whisked between them, his blade splitting them from back to front.

The crash as they too hit the floor was lost to the sound of Fenrirs engine as he kept going. 

Within minutes, the four of them lay in the dirt, ready to join the Lifestream as Cloud continued on. 

He took a moment to reassemble his sword and slot it back into its compartment, before retaking the wheel and changing his course back towards Corel. The way looked clear for now. 

He’d been riding for maybe an hour when something changed. 

It may have started earlier, but it was hard to tell on the bumpy dirt road. It was only when his ear popped that he realised a pressure was settling around him. And that sense of foreboding that had been hanging around like a constant companion increased tenfold. He hit the breaks hard, though Fenrir barely protested, and skidded to a halt. 

His weapon was out again within seconds as he scanned the horizon, looking for something, anything, that would trigger his instincts like that. Just like before, there was nothing in sight. He couldn’t hear anything either, but he could feel a minor tremor running beneath him, like the beginnings of a Quake that someone was holding back. 

He adjusted his feet around the bike, ready to spring into action should the ground split suddenly.

An exercise in futility, as even his heightened reaction speed couldn’t have gotten him out of the way. He never could have saw it coming. 

One second the area was clear, and the next, the ground beneath him not only crumbled, but a tower of green shot up from beneath his feet, surrounding and covering him. His surprised grunt was lost to the roaring of the what he knew to be the Lifestream as it smothered him. He knew that his feet had left the ground, but he had no idea if he was moving and what direction he was going. He tried to swing around, but his movements were impaired and sluggish in the thick essence, as his skin tingled with the mako burn he’d felt so many times before. 

He’d been in the Lifestream in the past, but this was different in so many ways. It felt like it was sucking him in and all of the molecules of his body were being ripped apart. 

He hadn’t seen the Lifestream so active since Meterofall. 

As the pain continued, he started to feel tendrils of panic, tinged with bitter memories of tanks full of Mako and hunched scientists. What was happening? Why? Was the planet trying to kill him?

He couldn’t tell if it had been minutes or hours, but as suddenly as it came, the stream of Mako he was encased in faded away. He felt the ground beneath his feet, but he dropped to his knees when his legs were unable to hold his weight.

He took deep breathes, fighting back the feeling of nausea as his burning skin slowly faded to a tingle. It took him a moment to register a light floral fragrance. He slowly opened his eyes, not daring to believe it. 

Aerith was kneeling in front of him, surrounded by her beautiful flowers, her eyes emerald pools of concern. 

He gasped harshly, the noise ragged in his dry throat. Aerith has touched his life from beyond the Lifestream before, spoken to him, and helped him when he needed it most, but since her intervention to cure Geostigma, he had heard nothing from her again. 

She and Zack had said goodbye in the only way they could, and he had thought - assumed - they’d moved on and joined the cycle of the Planet. 

Maybe this was a hallucination.

“I...I-“ he tried to speak, but the words caught in his throat. He didn’t even know what he wanted to say. 

“You know Spike, your jaw is practically on the floor. A lesser man would think you’re into my girl.”

Clouds head snapped around to see a familiar face, smiling down at him. 

“Zack!” He choked out, trying to stand and failing miserably. 

“Yo!” He grinned, waving a hand while the other was propped on his hip. 

He walked over and slipped a hand under the blondes shoulder, helping him to rise to his feet. Aerith rose to, smiling happily. “I’m so glad you made it. Come on, let’s walk it off.”

Cloud was about to protest as she turned away, worried he would lose her, but Zack’s hand, which had never left his shoulder gently urged him to follow. 

He couldn’t help but shoot looks at one or the other. Aerith’s back as her braid swung gently against her favourite pink dress and jacket, and Zack as he watched her from Clouds side, a contented smile on his face. 

His chest ached and his eyes stung, as he felt grief for the friends that he’d lost, mixed bizarrely with the elation of finding something precious that was thought be lost forever. Being here with them was so tangible and real that, for a moment he was lost in it, and he almost forgot that he should be asking how, or why. 

“Guys,” he spoke quietly after they had ambled through the flowers for while. He grounded himself and stopped Zack from moving forward. Aerith stopped to look over her shoulder knowingly. “Am I dead?”

Zack yelped, his hand leaving Clouds shoulder to wave it the air. “Woah, no nothing like that!”

Cloud frowned and looked around at the white expanse carpeted with flowers that never seemed to end. “Then why am I here?”

He didn’t miss the look the pair shared, nor did he push them.

“Well Spike,” Zack spike eventually, carding a hand through his hair as his face twisted into a grimace. “That’s a hard one. ‘Rith is probably the best to answer that. But what I can tell you is that, and trust me when I say this, I don’t agree with it, and you don’t have to do it.”

Cryptic, and not all helpful in explaining this particular situation. He looked to Aerith, urging her to pick up where he left off. He could tell she saw the 

Aerith sighed, and turned to face the pair fully, nodding once. “I guess I should explain. It was nice... just to spend a bit of time with both of you together, even just for a moment.” She didn’t want to, it was written all over her face. 

Silence reigned and Cloud looked between the two of them once again. “It’s okay. Just tell me what’s going on.”

Aerith looked him dead in the eye, her own sparkling suddenly with unshed tears, and Zack moved to wrap a comforting arm around her. “The Planet is dying, Cloud.”

Cloud shook his head. “We know that, Aerith. We’re shutting down the mako reactors and finding alternative fuel sources. We’re trying to help it heal.”

She smiled sadly. “I’m afraid - it’s afraid - that it isn’t enough. The damage it’s sustained is too great. It can barely keep itself from fracturing.” She reached up to play with her braid, pulling it over her shoulder. A nervous tell. “It doesn’t have enough energy. And now it’s considering taking steps to try and remedy that - even if it’s a long shot now.”

Cloud frowned, but Zack spoke before he could say anything. “The Planet is thinking about wiping the earth clean of life and starting again, Cloud.” 

He was stunned. Wipe the earth clean?! “It can’t do that-“

Aerith held up a hand to stop him. “It may already be too late for that. So the Goddess has a different idea. One that involves you. We don’t like it, but we agreed that it wouldn’t be fair to you to not give you the choice.”

He didn’t really like the sound of that. “And what is this idea?”

“To tell you would be a great folly on my part.” Cloud swung around as another voice joined their conversation. 

Without being told, he knew what he was seeing. The planets avatar, the Goddess. Even if the images and statues he had seen did nothing to capture her essence. It was something you knew from just looking. 

Her pale face was framed by long golden hair. She wore a gold band around her head, laced with blue, with a teal stone in the centre, and a long flowing white dress over her tall, lithe frame. Her grey eyes glowed just ever so slightly and the light and beauty she radiated struck him dumb, so he could only stare. She was so simple in design, but you could feel the complexity of her existence rolling out of her waves. She smiled gently as she towered over him. 

“What We would ask of you is more than We have ever asked of anyone, even the Cetra. You’d need to give up what you know, to try and bring about what could be.”

And just like that, the illusion was broken. Just another person - entity - expecting a sacrifice. Hadn’t he given up enough already? Any awe he had displayed was replaced by a cold aloofness that came with his experience that people take, take, take until you have nothing left to give. “I don’t suppose you’d consider not speaking in riddles and tell it to me straight, would you?”

Despite his own change in demeanour, the Goddess’ smile did not waiver. “You have done much for Us in the past. Your friends, they beg that We not ask any more of you, to let you live in peace, but We’re afraid you’re the only one who could help.” 

Frowning, he turned his back on the Goddess, considering her words. He was aware the gesture was rude, but right now he didn’t care. “I’m done with fighting for my life. I’m a simple delivery boy now, raising two kids with my oldest friend.” 

“I’m not inclined to agree with you, Cloud Strife.” The Goddess sounded almost indulgent. “You keep your wit and your weapon sharp. We see you. We know you.”

“You don’t know me.” He muttered, staring hard at the flowers around his feet with his arms crossed. “You can’t even tell me what it you want me to do.”

The Avatar hummed, but said nothing else. He could feel the nervous tension emanating from Zack and Aerith. 

They’d made their thoughts on the matter clear. But they wouldn’t ask, wouldn’t be a part of it, if there was any other option, surely? He felt his resistance waiver. To be fair, he’d never been approached by a deity to ask for help, and that in itself spoke volumes. If what she said was true, could he - would he - just stand by and watch something terrible happen? No. He may seem uncaring and unapproachable to most, but he was not a coward. Not anymore. “What exactly would happen, if I didn’t do this?”

The sadness that bloomed in his chest almost brought him to his knees as he gasped and pulled a hand to press against his heart, feeling like his chest was caving in. Like the grief he’d felt since he arrived here, but a million times worse. The Goddess projecting on to him. “All life will perish, and you will have to watch it happen until the ground you stand on crumbles and those you love disappear. The Lifestream will be no more and you will be alone, forever.”

He turned sharply on his knees, searching her eyes for any hint of a lie or half-truth, but found none. 

“The Planet is weakening and, as it’s Avatar, I come to you on bended knee.” She did as she said to solidify her point, finally no longer smiling. “This is our last chance. If we don’t do this now, we will never be able to again. Cloud Strife, will you once again save Gaia from complete destruction?”

He looked to Zack and Aerith, who’d been surprisingly quiet throughout. 

Zack tipped his head to him, his face a stoic mask but his eyes speaking volumes. “Remember Spikey, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

Aerith nodded, looking much the same. “It’s your choice.”

He looked to the Goddess again and muttered, more to himself that to them. “It doesn’t seem like a choice.” When he turned his eyes back to his friends, he stood. “I’ll do it. I can’t just stand by and watch my friends suffer.”

The Goddess smiled at him, though he didn’t see it, and lowered her head, as if in prayer. Zack chose that moment to walk over to him and pull him into a tight embrace, grabbing fist fulls of Cloud’s clothes, as if doing so would keep him there forever. “I’m proud of your Cloud. Take care of yourself, and rdon’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Cloud couldn’t hold it in anymore. He took the opportunity, and hugged Zack back, harder than he’d ever done in his like. 

“Don’t keep him all to yourself.”

He felt Aerith wrap her arms firmly around him too, and he didn’t hesitate to wrap one of his around her, as did Zack. She rested her head on his shoulder and, for just a moment, he felt true peace. Closing his eyes, he held them close. 

“You always were the best bodyguard.” She whispered. 

Before he could say anything in response, a buzzing began in his head and, try as might, he couldn’t help his twinge of panic. He had no idea what he was letting himself in for. 

As he felt his consciousness seem to slip away like leaves in a breeze, he heard Aerith’s final words. Though a whisper, they echoed in his head like she’d hammered them directly into his skull. 

“Find us.”

And then everything was black.


	2. Chapter 2

He sat up with a harsh sound, grasping at his chest and scrambling from his prone position. He was trying to look around but his vision was blurred as he slipped off the surface he was on and hit another, cold and hard. Where was he? 

“Cloud?!”

He backed up against something, heart racing, blinking harshly to try and clear his swimming vision. 

“Cloud honey, what’s wrong?!”

He watched the blurry silhouette of someone approach him quickly in the dim room, crouching to come to his level. The voice had brought him up short, his panic freezing as he struggled to recall why he knew it. 

“Cloud baby, speak to me?”

With sudden clarity, he knew. The same blue eyes and blonde hair as his own came into focus, concern swimming unabashedly as she looked at him and took his face in her hands. 

“M...Mom?” His voice came out a broken whisper as he stared into her eyes, his mind stuttering and flailing with the implications of it all. 

“I’m here. What’s wrong?” She moved her hands to his shoulders and firmly peeled him from the wall his was leaning against. She half led, half dragged him to a bed with the covers twisted. His legs were shaking so hard that he could barely stand. When he stumbled on to the bed, he realised it wasn’t just his legs, but his whole body that was racked with tremors. 

“Are you...are you real?” He reached out and clutched at her dress unashamedly. He was so confused and disoriented. What had happened? What was happening now? What the hell was happening?!?! 

His breathing caught in his throat as he took lungfuls of air that didn’t feel like enough. He gasped and sputtered, but never once did he look away from her. His mother. His mother who he hadn’t seen or heard in what felt like a lifetime was kneeling right there, and she felt as real as anything ever had. 

His vision was darkening at the edges and his heart was slamming in his chest. He recognised the symptoms - he was having a panic attack.

“Cloud, breathe honey. Was it a nightmare? Do you have a fever?”

She pressed a hand to his forehead and it was so tender and caring that he couldn’t take it any more. “Don’t leave me.” He whispered hoarsely, as what little energy he had drained out of him with his shock. 

“I won’t. Tell me what’s wrong!”

His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out in his mother’s arms. 

****

A clattering of pans roused him from his unconsciousness. His entire body was aching, which wasn’t helped by the lumpy mattress underneath him. 

He peeled his eyes open slowly, looking at a ceiling that was unfamiliar, yet so familiar it hurt. 

What the actual fuck was going on?

Another clattering drew his gaze to the kitchen across the room and his heart skipped a beat. 

There she was again. A sense of alarming dejavu washed over him as he watched her potter around, checking something in the oven as she washed and dried some dishes. She looked over her shoulder as if to check on him for the millionth time, and she cried out, practically throwing the plate back into the sink and splashing bubbles and water everywhere. 

“Oh thank the Goddess, you’re awake!” She crossed the room to crouch at his side and check his temperature again. Her comment threw him, and he wondered if the Planet had a sick sense of humour. 

She pressed a hand to his forehead yet again, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, I’m... fine.” He barely recognised his own voice, it was so quiet and small. Was he hallucinating?

She put her hand to her heart, as if to calm its beating. “You gave me quite the scare young man. I had to call out Doctor Hanswald!”

“Doctor Hans...” Goddess, he hadn’t heard that name since he was a child. 

“I’m going make you some tea. The doctor thought it might be a 24 hour bug, but your temperature has gone right down.” She left him then, and he almost cried out and grabbed her. Only years of stoicism and practice held him back. Instead, he cast his eyes around the room, seeing everything again and yet, it was like for the first time. The modest little stone building he had called his childhood home.

Not the facsimile that ShinRa had erected in its stead, but his genuine childhood home with the little things here and there that they couldn’t replicate. His mother set about boiling a pot on the stove as he looked around in awe. This had to be some sort of dream, but at the same time he’d never been able to picture his mother’s face with as much clarity as he was seeing now, not since Hojo tore apart his mind all those years ago. 

His mothers room was off to one side, the door ajar. The tiny bathroom was next to that, and then there was this room. The kitchen/living area/his bedroom. Modest was likely an understatement to describe the simplicity of this little structure. 

He slumped back on the bed, feeling the heavy down underneath him that was necessary in the cold Nibel months, as he tried to make sense of everything. 

He was still pondering it when his mother came and lightly touched his leg. “Come to the table.”

As if by instinct he followed his mothers instructions and found a bowl of sugared porridge and cup of tea waiting for him. She took a seat opposite him and watched like a hawk as he sat and stared at the meal in front of him, like he didn’t know what to do with it. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, Cloud?” She looked very worried. 

In a bid to reassure her, he picked up his spoon and took a mouthful of the steaming oats, the taste of his childhood playing on his tongue. He swallowed. “I’m okay.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she glanced towards to the front door. “I have some coats to deliver, but I really don’t want to leave you like this.”

He cast his eyes over to the garment bags hanging on the coatrack. His mother was a seamstress and dressmaker, and it was her skills with a needle and thread that had kept them off the streets. It didn’t afford them much else, but a home was enough. He remembered being sick as a child, and his mother had often taken the brunt of delayed orders after looking after him. “Go to work, I’m fine. Just a little tired I guess.” Plus, he needed time to think and figure out what was going on, and having her there was the ultimate distraction. 

She still looked unsure, but she sighed and got to her feet anyway. “Only if you feel okay, but believe you me, mister. You better take it easy. No going out today.” She took a moment to put on her shawl and grab the plastic covered garments as she passed. 

He nodded and watched her leave. She shot one last worried look over her shoulder before she closed the door. 

He sat and stared at the it for the longest time, his mind sluggishly trying to work through what had just happened in the last 10 minutes. But his stomach rumbling brought him out of his reverie, so he picked up his spoon again. It really had been so long since he’d had sugared porridge. He’d never been inclined to eat it again after everything, associating it painfully with him mother. He’d only had a couple of mouthfuls before something on the other side of the table drew his attention. 

He stood and reached over the table, frowning when the distance was more than he expected. He went up on his tiptoes and pulled the newspaper over to his place.

He wished he hadn’t. The bold headline splashed across the front page and the date of the paper had him choking loudly on his food, fighting for breathe and his mind reeling.

Aug 20th [ μ ] – εуλ 2000

He fell off his chair as he beat his chest, finally clearing his throat and scrambling for the mirror on the wall. What he saw left him dizzy. 

Instead of his more mature and sharper features, he was staring at a younger, softer face, at least a head shorted than usual, and crystalline blue eyes that had not a single ounce of mako-glow about them. 

Light headed, he stumbled to the bathroom, fighting to keep his breathe, retching what little he’d eaten back up. He clung to the toilet like an anchor. It couldn’t be... no... there was absolutely no way. He shook his head hard, as if doing so would clear up the cobwebs and make the answers clear, but all it did was give him a headache. 

After a while, he returned to the table, mind still reeling as he tried to make sense of the implications of it all. The porridge and tea day forgotten, as he clutched his head in his hands. 

By the time his mother returned from her errands, he had come to one conclusion. He had travelled back in time. Goddess, he felt stupid even thinking it but, unless this was some sort of elaborate dream, it was the only answer he could draw. Based on the paper he was reading, he’d just turned 14. The War in Wutai was in full swing. Cloud dared not read on, in case what he read gave him an aneurysm.

And by the time he settled into his old bed that night, he’d came to the conclusion of what he needed to do. The Goddess has asked him to bring about ‘what could be’. That suggested changing what had been. 

Meteor hadn’t happened. Sephiroth hadn’t lost his mind and turned against the world yet. Hojo hadn’t had him for four years. He had to keep it that way. 

How exactly he was supposed to do that was beyond his mental capacity right now, but what he did know was that he wouldn’t be able to do it from Nibelheim. 

This all came down to three thing right? Kill Sephiroth, kill Jenova and kill Hojo.

If his memory served him, it was this December when he had invited Tifa to the water tower to tell her he was leaving to join SOLDIER. But he couldn’t really wait until then. He couldn’t just sit around and wait for the Nibelheim incident to happen. 

As much as he was tempted to bury his head in the sand and simple enjoy the time he’d been given back with his mother, he knew it needed to be done. Like he said to the Goddess, he couldn’t sit back and watch his friends suffer again. He had the opportunity to stop that before it started. 

But... he was sure a couple of days to get to grips with everything wouldn’t hurt. 

****

The couple of days later, when he woke up like a normal human being (albeit a little dazed at first) his mother had deemed him fit and set him a list of chores. One of which was to go to the only store in the town and get some groceries. 

He hadn’t thought that stepping out into the streets would be as daunting as it was, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he was surrounded by ghosts. His home was set a little back from the others, though not as much as Tifa’s, and not too far from the main square. He looked down the short lane that lead to her home and sighed. Ideally, he would be able to avoid seeing Tifa, as he was unsure of how he was going to be able to keep his head if he saw her now. Seeing the teenager her remembered her to be, being friends, but not close. 

This wouldn’t be the Tifa who would charge into the Northern Crater and risk her life. The burning of Nibelheim and the journey they’d been on together had changed her. He felt a sudden pang of loneliness, as the realisation that none of his friends would be there for him to lean on when he faltered. 

Pushing that thought to one side, he set off to the store, the beaten track familiar even after years of not following it. He had only visited him hometown once, in his hunt for Sephiroth, and he had refused to go back. 

The townsfolk he passed gave him sidelong glances and dirty looks as he went. Once upon a time, he was angry and bitter about his childhood experiences, but now he couldn’t muster more than a dull feeling of irritation about it all. The accusations, the judging, the uncalled for hate. People blaming him for Tifa’s fall and her subsequent coma. Back when he was young, it made stubborn and brattish in an effort to hide his shame, and it felt like the be all and end of all that he couldn’t do anything to garner their approval. of anger that ignited in him. Now, it was so inconsequential, that he couldn’t find it in himself to really care. These days, it suited him better for people to avoid him, then the clamouring admiration he felt was undeserved. 

He purposefully ignored the ghosts of his past - present - and did what he needed to do. It was the journey home from the store when everything seemed to go wrong. As he walked back down the quiet path, shadows crossed in front of him and he looked up, freezing mid-step. 

Three boys stood in front of him, ugly smirks twisting their faces as they looked down at him from their towering height. It took a moment, but he vaguely remembered these three. Tifa’s so-called best friends. 

“Well if it isn’t little Cloudy. Fancy seeing you here?” Marlon, if he remembered right, the stocky one at the back of the group piped up. He was the muscle, but pretty dumb Cloud as recalled. 

Caxon sniggered from his side, his sly eyes looking Cloud up and down like he was something dirty and foreign, while Wilson, the oldest and by far the smartest stood in front of them, eyes on him like a Nibel wolf assessing its prey. These boys were older than him, and much, much bigger. 

“I’ve been looking for you, Strife.” He growled, taking a menacing step forward. “You said to me the day before last that you were going to show me what you got. Then lo and behold, you were nowhere to be found yesterday.”

“Little wimp decided to hide I guess,” Caxon cajoled in a nasally voice that had always grated on Clouds nerves. 

The blondes eyes darted to each of them in turn, his mind working furiously. From what he’d pieced together over the last day, he was enhancement-free. That didn’t bode well for him, as he distinctly remembered not coming out on top in any of the fights from his childhood. He knew for a fact that wasn’t Zack.

He considered the ramifications of turning tail and running back into the bustle of town, but he quickly squashed that idea. No one there would care what would befall him if they caught up. No one would help. 

Wilson took another step forward and Cloud had to make a snap decision. Right now, the only thing he had over them was experience, and they didn’t know that. Sometimes knowledge was mightier than the sword. 

He dropped his bag of goods and slipped into a fighting stance that felt odd and unfamiliar in his younger body. 

The boys guffawed at his his display, but only Wilson continued forward. After all, it usually only took one of them to do any damage, and they other two would be foolish to steal their friends glory. 

As the taller boy lurched forward, swinging his fist up, Cloud managed to slip to the side and watched as the fist flew past his head. His speed wasn’t what it used to be, but Wilson displayed his intentions like an open book. The had over-swung with nothing to hit stop his momentum and nearly fell forward. He caught himself and turned to face the blonde as Cloud took a quick step back. His teeth were bared and his face was a mottled red. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Without thinking, Cloud quirked a brow and quipped. “Dodging your meaty fist.”

Wilson growled like a pissed off Behemoth and lurched at him again, aiming to grab him by the shirt. Cloud slipped under his guard this time and brought his fist around, slamming it into the boys belly with all of the force his meagre body weight could muster. 

A sharp pain lanced down his wrist and arm, and he grit his teeth against it. It wasn’t surprising. What was though, was the sound of something cracking and all of the air leaving Wilson’s lungs in a harsh puff. He collapsed to his knees, groaning in pain and trying to catch his breath. 

Cloud leapt back, barely keeping himself upright as he tripped on his own feet. Marlon and Caxon were rooted to the spot, stunned by what they’d just seen, but it was Caxon who recovered first. He shouted something intelligible and ran at Cloud. 

Confident now, he sidestepped him and swung his leg, wiping the boys own out from underneath him and sending him sprawling face-first into the ground. 

He was about to turn and face the other when a fist smashed into the side of his face, sending him flying himself. He rolled on the ground and used the movement to get on his hands and knees, the gravel biting at his skin as he skidded a little way. He face throbbed as he spat a mouthful of blood into the dirt. Wilson was lying on his side now, curled in on himself and staring at Cloud like he’d grown another head. 

Marlon stomped towards him, all brutishness and no grace and, as he bore down on him, Cloud did the first thing he could think of. He threw himself forwards, between the teenagers legs and kicked a leg up, striking him hard in the groin. A low blow, some would call it, but all’s fair in love and war. 

Marlon howled, clutching at himself as he lurched forward into the dirt. 

Cloud lay there for a second, panting heavily, his body unused to the motions and strain he’d just put it under, before getting up and grabbing his bag again. With one last look at the boys, he took off down to the lane to his house, ignoring the burning patches on his knees, hands and various other body parts. He wrenched the door to his open, slamming it behind him and leaning against it with a sigh. 

That had been extremely unexpected. 

He took a second to drop the bag on the table before going to the mirror and examining his face, flexing his hand and arm painfully as he went. There was already a bruise coming up on his jaw, which was bad enough. 

To top it off, he could feel the scrapes up his side, on his knees and the palms of his hands, without looking at them. He was going to have to get the loose dirt and gravel out of them and fast, lest he get an infection. There was no Mako to fight it off. 

He headed straight for the bathroom and started running the water. It wouldn’t be freezing, but it wouldn’t be warm either, and he didn’t have it in him to do anything about that right now. He found a pair of tweezers in him moms things and set to work picking what he could out of his knees and hands. 

He snorted, thinking back to his original childhood when he would have had his mother do this for him, him being too upset and squeamish, and how surprised she would be if she walked in and found him doing it himself. 

He slipped into the bath and hissed as the water met his cuts, but that soon passed. Carefully, he washed himself down and watched as the water slowly turned a dirty pink. One of the main reasons he preferred showers. 

He’d heard his mother come in during his ministrations and shouted a greeting, but when there was a knock on the front door, he paused to listen. 

“Oh, Mrs Mardock, how can help you?”

“Where is that damned boy of yours, Strife?!”

Cloud swore under his breath and quickly hoisted himself out of the bath to get dressed, listening to the raised voices outside. 

“...what he’s done to my sweet Wilson! Two broken ribs! He’s a monster, that boy of yours, Claudia.”

Cloud stepped out of the bathroom and turned the full force of his glare at the gathering at his front door. Wilson looked embarrassed, half hidden behind his witchy looking mother. Her eyes slid over to him as he entered the room. If looks could kill he would drop dead there and then. His own mom was standing there, shocked by the sudden trouble that had came to her door. 

Before Mrs Mardock could start her tiara doe again, he spoke quietly. “Maybe if your son hadn’t tried to hit me first this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Cloud!”

“Excuse me!!!!!”

His mother was stunned at his response, but Mrs Mardock looked outraged. “My boy wouldn’t hurt a fly, you lying little creature!”

Cloud took a step forward and he saw Wilson’s face drop, and his monster of a mother seemed to falter. Even Mom seemed to pale. Whatever they could see in his face, it unsettled them all. “I think you need to look a little closer to home, Mrs Mardock. Your son is a bully and got what was coming to him. Now please leave.”

The woman sputtered and choked on her words for a second, before taking her sons shoulder in an iron grip and dragging him out of their property. Claudia watched them leave quietly, before slowly closing the door on their retreating backs. 

She pressed a hand against the wood and spoke without turning. “Cloud Strife, that was very rude.”

He scoffed, instantly regretting it when his mother swung around with a face of thunder. He quickly tried to backtrack. “He’s always targeted me, Mom. I just defended myself. And I didn’t appreciate the way she was speak to you either.”

Claudia stared at her son intently for a moment before slowly making her way to the table and taking a seat. Cloud did the same, sensing that it was the right thing to do in this moment. They sat across from each other, and her eyes searched his face. For what, he didn’t know. 

“I’m glad that you’re defending yourself,” she spoke quietly, “but you seem... different... lately..”

He cringed inwardly. Of course his mother was going to notice a difference in his nuances and manner, no matter how subtle. Try as he might, he wasn’t the same child that had went to sleep the night before this started. 

“You seem so grown up, all of a sudden.” His mother whispered, “It’s hard to believe, I feel like I haven’t notice it happening. Where did my little boy go?”

When her eyes began to tear up he reached across the table to place one of his hands over her own. “I need to get strong Mom, to protect you.” That was at least true, he had always wanted to keep her safe, and had always tried to act more grown up than he was. Given, once upon a time he thought being mouthy and stubborn was what being grown up meant. He knew now that it wasn’t the case. 

She gave him a watery smile and reached across the table for his hand. “I’ve always been so proud of you, you know that right?”

He nodded, smiling. It seemed so much easier to do here, with the one woman who would always love him no matter what. He’d never found this level of comfort anywhere else, no matter how hard people tried for him. He’d miss this. 

“I want to go and join SOLDIER.”

He’d been wondering how to bring it up to her gently, not remembering how he’d done it the last time round. Now seemed as a good a time as any.

She looked shocked for a moment, but that faded quickly. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, this isn’t exactly new information. You’re always reading about that Sephira or whatever you call him-“

“Sephiroth.” He corrected automatically, voice dropping an octave. The name sounded foreign in his young voice, and it hurt him deeply when his mother said his name so flippantly, unaware of what would come to pass should he come here. 

She smiled, unaware of the turmoil she had incited in her son. “Yes, Sephiroth. I always had a feeling it would come to this.”

Her look changed then, to one of deep concern as she squeezed his hand. “You know, you could still protect me here. You don’t have to go and join ShinRa to do that.” 

He could understand her reluctance. In her eyes, her 14 year old son had just essentially said he was going to war. 

“Maybe I could..” he whispered, the lie tasting bitter on his tongue, “But this is something I need to do.” 

“Maybe when you’re 16-“

He shook his head sadly. “I want to go now, Mom. I don’t want to leave you but, I can’t stay here anymore.”

Her face crumpled, no longer able to keep up get strong facade, as she choked back a small sob. “I know darling, I know.”

He couldn’t stand it when the tears began to fall from her eyes in earnest now. He was around the table in seconds, his arms around her in a comforting embrace and she clutched at the fabric of his shirt and cried into his shoulder. His own eyes stung at his mother’s sadness, but he couldn’t give her what she wanted. She might think it was because of the bullying and this hateful town, and he would forever let her think that. But in the end, he was doing this for her. So she could live. So that every single hate filled one of them could. 

***

Two weeks later saw him gathering whatever he could carry and packing it in a battered old suitcase his Mom had kept from when they’d moved into the mountains. She’d written Strife on it in big letters. 

His eyes wandered to look out of the window, in the direction he knew the ShinRa mansion stood, hidden by the trees swaying gently in the wind. 

The first time he had locked eyes on it, he’d almost had a panic attack, the years he’d spent coming to terms with what had happened to him there flying out of the window in seconds. After all, this was not the same burnt out husk of a mansion he had last laid eyes on. This was the version that still held all of the truth and lies that had finally tipped his enemy over the edge and into his spiral of insanity. The version where he was the subject of inhumane experiments that made him into puppet. The version that still had one of his closest companions lying in a coffin paying penance for his sins.

His brow furrowed in thought. This was not the first time Vincent had crossed his mind since waking up in the past. 

A few days into the past, he’d managed to gather the nerve to venture to the mansions gates after dark, giving them a light shake and hearing the chains holding them closed clang. 

An adult would have had trouble getting through, but children were forever slipping between the iron poles and venturing into the grounds. 

Thankfully, even the bravest of children didn’t get to close, scared off by the howls and growls that could be heard coming from within. Everyone was convinced it was haunted, him included. It was only from his memories that her knew if was in fact monsters that roamed the halls. He ventured up the the mansion doors, but didn’t attempt to open them. Instead, he pressed his ear to the door, listening for what was on the other side. He heard a shuffle and a thump, and then a low growl from somewhere nearby. 

There was absolutely no way he would be able to make it to the underground labs as he was now. Not taking into account his lack of Mako treatments, he had no weapons or Materia either. Unless you counted a wooden sword he’d fashioned out of sticks at some point in his life. Not for the first time, he mourned the loss of his Fusion Swords.

While he was pretty sure he could use a hand with what was surely to come, Vincent was not an option right now. He hated the thought that he would be leaving his friend to rot in a coffin, and a horde of lies hidden among research notes.

And then there was the problem of Jenova. He had as much chance of making it up Mount Nibel as he did into the mansion. 

The idea that she was so close and yet so unreachable set him on edge. A great start to his misadventure, unable to do anything. All he had was problems and no solutions. 

Well, he did have one, but he would rather have done just about anything else. Willingly venturing into the lions den and practically asking to have Mako treatments was not high on his list of things he wanted to do. In fact, it wasn’t on there at all. 

A deep feeling of unease settled over him whenever he thought about it, but he brutally squashed it. This may not have exactly been what he’d expected when he had agreed to the Goddesses request, but it was too late to turn back now. He was the only one who knew what coming.

And he was not naive enough to believe he could do anything about without them.

He pulled his mind back to the task at hand. As it stood, he had already been saving his pocket money towards making the trip, so when Claudia gave him most of the Gil she had been saving, he made a point of only taking what he would need to get him where he needed to go. ShinRa would cater for the rest. 

She walked with him to the edge of town, stopping under the wrought iron sign that welcomed you to the town. Memories briefly danced in his eyes. Standing there with the Buster Sword on his back, listening as Sephiroth told him he had no home town, and again standing off to the side with a rifle at his hip, worrying he would be seen. Thankfully, he knew which was real, but that didn’t mean that Zacks memories simple went away. 

A truck was idling nearby as a man finished packing up its contents. Mickel Harris, his mother had reminded him. He regularly made trips across the Western Continent, transporting goods and deliveries to more remote areas. 

They’d arranged for Cloud to get a ride of out town with him. He’d have to ride in the back with whatever was there, but he didn’t care. At least this one had a roof. 

He mother clung to him as she hugged him goodbye and he was once again riddled by guilt at leaving her to deal with this town in her own. 

“Write to me every month.” She sniffled as she drew him to arms length and held his face in her hands. “And take care of yourself. Don’t trust strangers.” She placed a kiss on his forehead. 

He held his own hands over his mother’s and smiled, indulging in the motherly posturing that once upon a time he would have pushed away for being treat like a child. “I know, I will.”

She took a step back then and was about to speak when a shout from further in town caught their attention. 

“Cloud!”

He turned and his eyes widened as he saw Tifa - unmistakably 13 year old Tifa - running towards him, waving her arm in the air. Her blue dress was flapping around her knees in the wind as her shine black shoes clacked in the cobblestones, and her black hair flowed out behind her like a cape. 

He’d managed to avoid her so far, worried that his wouldn’t know what to do or say, or that he would panic. True his heart was beating double, and he had to make an extra effort to remember to breathe. It came out shaky as he ignored the urge to run and hide in the van.

His mother gave quirked a brow and him a knowing smile, mistaking his reaction for something else entirely. “Goodbye baby.” 

She walked away and smiled at Tifa as they crossed paths. The young girl grinned at her as she passed, and Cloud was relieved that at least someone in town didn’t hate his family.

When she reached him, she stopped and stared up into his eyes earnestly. “Were you really going to leave without saying goodbye?”

“I, uh-“ he scratched the back of his neck not knowing what to say. Once upon a time, he’d convinced her to come out after dark so he could announce his intentions of becoming a hero, but this time was obviously much, much different. She placed her hands on her hips, pouting, and Cloud fought the unexpected urge to laugh. Seeing Tifa as she was now and who she would become was quite the comparison. “Yeah, I’m sorry.”

“Mr Carson said you were going to join SOLDIER. Is that true?”

He nodded, not having a clue who Mr Carson was. She hummed quietly, looking down at her shoes and scuffing at the floor with one. “If you make it, will you be in the newspapers?”

Deja vu hit him like a brick to the face. Trust Tifa to be consistent. 

“I - erm - maybe.”

“Okay.” She looked up then, eyes burning. “Make me a promise, Cloud Strife. If you get really famous and I’m ever in a bind, you’ll come and save me, all right?” She took Clouds quiet shock as a cue to go on. “If I’m ever in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to experience that at least once.”

Cloud swallowed hard around the lump in this throat and nodded, not trusting his voice. If he had it his way, the only bind Tifa would suffer through was which scarf to wear this winter. 

“Hey kid, you comin’ or what?” The truck driver was leaning on his vehicle, eyeing the pair with a frown. 

Tifa smiled wide and laughed. She turned and started running back into town, looking over her shoulder and shouting. “Bye Cloud!”

He couldn’t help the small smile that turned the corners of his mouth up as he hefted the case towards the van. The man went to help him load it, but his eyes widened as he stepped back and watched this scrawny little teenager lift it in himself, like he’d done it a million times before. The blonde looked up at the man before hopping in himself. “Thanks for the ride.”

He settled in for the long haul between crates and burlap sacks, eager to use the coming days to plan his next move. He needed to make a start on what he’d come here to do. And there was no time like the present. Or past. Or...whatever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He I can’t for the life of me remember who coined the name Claudia for Clouds Mom, but ever since I saw it, it really stuck. So if you’re out there, thank you!
> 
> Also, thank you so so much to those who have bookmarked, gave kudos and commented on the first chapter. It really does mean a lot to me.
> 
> I’ve also had a couple of people point out any errors I’ve made, which is super helpful. I write on my phone and iPad as I just have to find time when I can. I do my best to pick any mistakes up, but I do miss some and I don’t use a beta reader 🤷♀️


	3. Chapter 3

Ultimately the drive to Costa del Sol was long, and rather uncomfortable.

He had no seat to sit on and the bumps in the road had him bouncing around all over at first, making him wish more than ever that he had Fenrir. It was much quicker and more comfortable than this rickety old truck. To top things off, he was suffering from something he’d long thought was a thing of the past. 

Motion sickness. 

Given, it wasn’t as bad as it once was, he expected part of it was mind over matter, but the telltale churning of his stomach was enough to make the whole journey more miserable. 

Their trip was to practically take them on a tour of the Western Continent. They stopped outside of Cosmo Canyon so Mr Harris could take a break, but when he’d made a move to head in, he’d been rebuked at the entrance. 

“Don’t bother kid, they’re pretty suspicious of outsiders. They won’t let you in.” Mr Harris had said, from his position of leaning on the trucks hood. 

That was frustrating. He’d considered name dropping Bugenhagen or Nanaki to try and get past the guard, but thought better of it. He didn’t know how we would explain his knowledge of them away. Besides, Nanaki was still young for his species, and he didn’t even know if he was in there. He could only hope he hadn’t already been captured by Hojo as a specimen. He’d never thought to ask how long the lion-like creature had been in the scientists ‘care’ and was kicking himself for it now. 

So far that had made 3 for 3 on old friends he couldn’t rely on. 

Once they were back on the road, he spent much of his time planning his course of action once he reached Midgar, and that kept him busy until they reached Gongaga. 

It was a bustling little village these days, and yet another reminder of what was at stake. He didn’t recall stopping here on his first trip, and after that he had only ever seen its ruin. It really wasn’t that much bigger than Nibelheim, as he’d expected, but the locals seemed friendly enough. Despite that, Cloud had went straight to the inn, where he remained for the rest of the night. 

He didn’t want to risk running into Zack’s parents. They wouldn’t know him of course, but he distinctly remembered when they visited during his journey with AVALANCHE. They hadn’t even know Zack was... No. He did not want to see them. 

He had briefly considered buying a weapon and slaying some monsters for some extra Gil and practice, but he had reminded himself that he was but a shadow of his former self and that endeavour would likely see him killed. 

Other than that, they only stopped a couple of times a day to pee or stretch their legs, so when they were pulling into the town of Corel, Cloud nearly cried out with relief. The end was in sight. The driver was just as unsociable as Cloud himself, and didn’t speak much other than to holler something or another about the time. 

He had a book he’d bought to keep him busy, but there was only so much reading he could take, and trying to read the small words while swaying with the truck did nothing to help his perpetual state of nausea.

It was dark outside now, but even without his enhanced eyesight he could see the dull light around the area where the Corel Reactor was already under construction. It was in its early stages right now, barely more than a skeleton of beams. 

He wondered if he would run into Barrett, or maybe even Dyne, while he was here. Of all of his past ghosts, Barrett would likely be the easiest to handle. The gruff man grated on him and they butted heads constantly, but it was comforting to know he was likely still very much the same. Maybe just not as damaged. 

It was also quite the sobering thought that Marlene would not have even been born yet. 

They made their way into the inn, Cloud going first and getting a room. The Innkeeper looked a bit disconcerted at a 14 year old asking for a room like he did it every day, but didn’t do anything to stop him, and before long he was under the hot spray of a shower. As he washed his long hair, he ran his fingers through it and wondered if he should leave it, or cut it short at the back like he had done in his own time. 

SOLDIER didn’t have a problem with hair but, if he remembered rightly, it had to stay within your regulation helmet in the regular army. They didn’t want any defining or distinguishing features showing on their troopers and Cloud bristled at the thought. One of the many mind games ShinRa played. Remove individuality, regulate autonomy. Shaking his head, he turned his thoughts to another direction and continued washing his hair. 

He didn’t need any extra help to fester about ShinRa, he would surely do enough of that when he was there. 

It was noon by the time they reached Costa del Sol the next day. That had been an interesting ride, as Cloud had been able to specifically recognise the area where he’d been sucked into the Lifestream and brought into this fresh hell. 

Costa del Sol was as busy as it ever was, seeing as though it was THE tourist destination AND close to the newly built Golden Saucer. Sun, sea, sand and spending. It was also ShinRa’s key connection to the Western Continent so, as the war was at its peak, their troops and vehicles were everywhere too. It was an odd feeling to be able to walk around them freely again, without being the target of their ire and guns. He was a nobody to them. 

That being said, he still felt uneasy as he picked his way though town, unable to shake the feeling of being surrounded by enemies. When he made it to the port, he went straight to the Dockmaster to get a ride. 

As luck would have it, a civilian cruiseliner was here and had a few spare rooms. It was leaving after the last ShinRa boat of the day, so he had a while to wait while, but he’d survive in his own for a couple of hours. “The war means they get priority, ya know!”

He bought the cheapest ticket he could, conscious that his Gil was going to have to last, and set about killing time before he could board. 

He sat on his suitcase and watched the general comings and goings of the troops on the other boardwalk. The sun was warm on his back as he basked in it, figuring it may well be a while before he felt it again. Even on the nicest summer days, it was never really sunny in Midgar. The smog from the city drowned it out, even above the plate. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, filling his lungs with salt air and ignoring the calls and shouts across the way. When an odd hush fell upon the docks, he opened his eyes but he couldn’t see anything or note. People were still milling around doing what they needed to, but they were a lot more subdued. 

Curious, he frowned and stood up, but his short stature didn’t lend any help whatsoever. Not concerned with how odd he would look, he quickly hopped up onto the suitcase to take a better look.

How he sorely wished he hadn’t. Of all the people he knew he would see in this time, this was the one he wanted to be most prepared for. 

In reality, he was definitely the least. 

Seeing Sephiroth in the papers, the poster child for ShinRa and the war effort, was disconcerting and thoroughly mind blowing, but it was a whole different ball game than seeing him in the flesh. Even from across the docks there was no mistaking that sheet of silver hair flowing gently in the wind. 

Clouds heart stopped and his breath caught in his throat as instinct had him reaching to his back for a sword that wasn’t there. He clamped down on the freezing panic that swelled like a wave across his body and sucked in a harsh breath. 

Sephiroth was just as tall as ever, but his features showed he was younger than Clouds last image of him, the planes of his face seeming softer. Now that he thought about it, the man couldn’t be any older than 18 right now. Be that as it may, he still moved with a certain air of grace and a confident stride that belied his age and experiences.

Cloud couldn’t take his eyes off the man who once upon a time had been his idol and the reason that he wanted to follow his dream to join SOLDIER. It was shocking to this this was who had been his idol. Before insanity and instability corrupted and twisted him into someone else entirely. 

Sephiroth turned to look over his shoulder and it was only then that he realised who he was with. Angeal Hewley and Genesis Rhapsodos were mere steps behind him on the boardwalk. Genesis had a somewhat bitter twist to his smile as he walked with his arms crossed but Angeal, who Sephiroth was speaking with now, appeared light and easy. 

The troopers gave them a wide bearth, their helmets doing like to hide their obvious glances at the three. 

Maybe if Cloud hadn’t been looking at everyone else, he might have been more prepared to lock eyes with Sephiroth. 

Mako green. Slitted pupils. A haunting laugh and a smirk that spoke of superiority and madness. A sword piercing Aerith’s chest like a knife through butter. As quickly as the images came, the passed in favour of another. His heart rate quickened and he felt the blood drain from his face. 

And then it was over. Sephiroth had locked eyes with him for all of a second, and then carried on as if nothing had happened. 

Clouds breath was coming in out in harsh pants as he watched the trio continue down the boardwalk. 

The eye contact was so insignificant and in the passing that he doubted Sephiroth even paid him any mind, more likely he was looking through him, not at him. And yet it shaken Cloud to his very core. 

He shakily climbed off his suitcase and sat down. This whole experience was by far the most bizarre thing he had ever done.

He’d be lucky if he came of out of all of this with his own mental faculties intact and only mild PTSD. 

As his heart rate began to slow, his thoughts wandered back to Genesis and Angeal. He had forgotten they’d even existed. In all fairness, he had very little to do with them originally, Genesis especially. 

He’d had a run in with Angeal in Modeohiem when he was a trooper, but otherwise anything else he knew was from Zack. Zack’s recollections of Angeal were endearing to say the least, but strongly at odds with Cloud’s personal experience. He knew a little of what had happened to the pair of frost classes, but only from brief conversations with the Turks and from what was left of ShinRas research. 

They could be problematic in what he needed to do. 

As soon as the three First Class SOLDIERs were aboard the ShinRa ship, their boardwalk went back to shouting and organised chaos, their reverence over, as they finished their preparations to launch. Cloud went back to sitting and waiting, but the tension he’d felt upon seeing Sephiroth had yet to evaporate. No doubt he’d feel this way until the ship left the harbour. 

When the ShinRa troops stopped loading and started boarding, the Dockmaster on his own boardwalk hollered, stating they were able to start boarding the cruiseliner. 

He fought through the crowd to get on the boat as quickly as he could and find his room in steerage. For all it was basic and bare, he didn’t care. If everything went to plan, this would likely be his last chance in peaceful isolation for a long time. 

He dumped his case by the door and flopped onto the bed, glad that at least on this leg of the journey he had a mattress to rest on, rather than the cold iron of a truck. 

And if he was really lucky, the boat would just sink and he’d be off the hook. He smirked at his own macabre thoughts. Of course that wouldn’t happen. He was never that lucky...

***

Coming into port at Junon and seeing the beginnings of the Sister Ray under construction was a harrowing image. Knowing exactly what it was for, and what it could do, was giving him an uncomfortable tingle up his spine, despite it being years from completion.

The security at the dock was on high alert as well. He wondered if the Wutai had ever made it this far across the world to do anything to cause any damage, but he doubted it. They had enough trouble defending their own land, never mind disrupting ShinRa here. 

Disembarking from the ship was a quick and efficient business, the complete opposite of his experience in Costa del Sol, and he was in the city proper within 30 minutes. One thing he couldn’t remember though... how to get to Midgar without a Chocobo... or his own mode of transportation in general. 

He wandered some of the streets for a while, before swallowing his pride and approaching a lonely Trooper that was standing guard by a street corner. He couldn’t help the suspicion and trepidation he felt when approaching one without a weapon, and had to grit his teeth to stop himself from throwing a punch when he turned to look at him, the three red lights in his helmet glowing menacingly. 

“Can you tell me how to get to Midgar?”

The Trooper looked him up and down, lingering on his suitcase. “You an army hopeful?”

Cloud shrugged, uncomfortable with the scrutiny but not daring to look away.

The Trooper laughed and smiled at him, totally throwing Cloud for six. “Glad to know we have more new recruits! You take a left at this corner and...”

By the time Cloud was on train and had found a place to stand, he was mentally drained from being so consistently on edge. Guards regularly worked their way up and down the train in pairs, checking out the passengers as they went. Probably trying to prevent unsavoury characters from using it to get into Midgar. AVALANCHE (the first iteration anyway) were causing a stir already. 

He was surrounded by a range of people. Some were obviously just commuters, likely they’d been on a day trip, but he also wasn’t the only young boy who seemed to be making the trip to join the military. Only years of experience had him noticing the small packs with what little belongings they could bring, and the nervous looks as they watched the guards pass. He knew an army wannabe when he saw one. He’d been one once. 

He rested his head against the cool glass of the window he was next to, watching the dark walls of the underground tunnel zoom by. 

He was going to have to get used to this. There was no way he could beat Sephiroth in a fight right now, and he wasn’t willing to allow things to get to Nibelheim so he could be enhanced. No, he had to get into SOLDIER and do it ‘the old fashioned way’. That meant being at ShinRa. Working for ShinRa. 

God, he hated it. 

He was wandering into enemy territory, not that they knew they were his enemy. Yet. His original time in ShinRa wasn’t the most pleasant to begin with, but he had so many other issues to war with now. He was going to have to see Hojo again, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold himself back if he did. Every single bad thing that had happened in his life could be tied back to that bastard. Those 4 years especially, and Zack...

As the train exited the tunnel, Cloud got his first full view of Midgar in years, back in all its former, monstrous glory. Everything had a green tinge to it and he felt like he could see the smog that was desecrating the land, though admittedly that was probably just his imagination. 

The other passengers on the train started to become restless as they pulled up to the first stop in the city. Cloud took a deep breathe and let it out slowly. 

‘Welcome to the jungle.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far I’ve been updating weekly, but I think that’s going to change (as much as I wish it wouldn’t)
> 
> At this point, I kind of have the key plot points in my head, but it’s the transitioning between them that I struggle with. I don’t want to rush this story, but I also don’t want to drag it out more than is necessary. If at any point I’m going to little or too much of something (description, speech, procrastinating etc) please, please, PLEASE, let me know so I can work on it. Otherwise, I’ll see you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I am so sorry that I’ve taken so long to post this chapter. I have no excuse other than to say I was a bit stumped on how to move onto the next but without it being just _awful_
> 
> To new readers, welcome to my story!
> 
> To those who’ve been here before, I have some news I’ve been back through and edited all 3 of the first chapters, as I felt like they still needed work, and I’d missed some important points in my excitement to post. They’re not necessarily crucial to the story so you don’t NEED to go back and read them, but wanted to let you know in case you wanted to :)

“Next.”

Cloud stepped forward nervously, his palms clammy. His first task from getting off the train was heading to the recruitment office. The lions den. It wasn’t like he wanted to throw himself so quickly into his misery, but there wasn’t much else he could do if he wanted a roof over his head tonight. The office itself was small and dingy, attached to the civilian side of the army barracks. There was no windows, and the fluorescent lighting cast a harsh glare across its contents. There were also no seats. Just a small desk occupied by a grizzled looking man with a salt and pepper beard. There had already been a small queue before him when he’d entered, so he had joined it. After around 20 minutes of waiting, flexing his hands to use some his nervous energy, it was his turn to move forward. 

“Next.”

Cloud stepped up to the front when he was called, trying not to let his tension show. 

“Name?”

“Cloud Strife.” His voice cracked and he cleared his throat, more than a little embarrassed. 

“Age and place of birth.”

“14, Nibelheim.”

“Backwater boy huh? Don’t get many from your neck of the woods here. Where do you want to be kid?” 

“SOLDIER.”

His laugh was a loud bark as scribbling on the form. “You and everyone else. Don’t be too disappointed when you end up with the army. Go down that hall and fill these out. Someone will be by to collect them and tell you what to do.”

Cloud huffed but did as he was told, looking over the form as he went. Basic health and personal information. It was stuck to a clipboard with a pen tied to it, so he started scribbling as soon as he put his case down, trying to recall what he could from so long ago. 

To even have a hope of joining SOLDIER, he’d need to get through the bootcamp. It served no real purpose, other than to try and push candidates to their limit and test their resilience and determination. If you impressed them, you were put into the SOLDIER program. Anyone else was shipped off to the army. Once he was in the programme, it was just a matter of improving until they gave you the treatment or kicked you out. That in itself didn’t concern him though. It was the treatment itself that lent him the most anxiety. 

In his past, someone somewhere had declared that he was incapable of withstanding the enhancements and the method of gaining them. It was rumoured that you needed to be both mentally and physically strong. He certainly hadn’t been so physically weak to warrant a rejection, so he had come to the conclusion, eventually, that it was his mentality that sold him down the river. 

He’d later found that to be false. What had actually transpired was that he had no natural defence to the mako and/or the Jenova cells that they used in the treatment, and that had put a sudden halt to his dreams.

For all of his bravado and arrogance as a teenager, Clouds confidence in himself was abysmal at best. His failure to save Tifa from falling from the bridge on Mt. Nibel and his isolation throughout his childhood had effected his ability to work cohesively with others, so he didn’t find what they’d fed him had to believe. Now, he was a different person to the teenager who had came before him. He still had issues, but they were not the same. 

To be fair to someone somewhere though, they’d technically been right. Both Hojo’s experiments on him in Nibelhiem and his dip into the Lifestream directly had led to toxicosis and acute mako poisoning. Had it not been for Zack and Tifa he may not have survived. That being said though, he wasn’t sure how different Hojo’s experiments had been from the SOLDIER treatment, so would he have had the same reaction? In the end, it was all conjecture, so he couldn’t say for sure. 

Alternatively, he could just be his own brand of insanity, doing the same things yet expecting different results.

He leaned against a wall in the waiting room, attending to his forms. 

A man in a Lieutenants uniform eventually came to the motley crew of boys sitting in the waiting area, some on chairs and some on the floor. 

When he’d stood there for a moment and the crowd did nothing but watch him, he scowled. “What do you think you’re all doing?! Get to attention.”

The others, shocked and intimidated, scrambled to get up and stand up straight, not that all of them knew what standing to attention entailed. More calmly then the others, Cloud drew himself away from the wall and straightened out, arms stiff to his sides. He tried not to look like he’d done this before, while at the same time not looking like he was clueless. He needed to impress after all. 

“Arms down. Why are you saluting, this isn’t the Navy! Straighten that back.” The man didn’t look like he expected too much already. “I’m Lieutenant Martins and I’ll be your CO for the duration of your time in boot camp. I get the pleasure of making your dreams come true, or smashing them to tiny pieces, and trust me, this is not going to be an easy ride. I expect nothing but the best and if I don’t get it, then you’re gone. So get it together and follow me.”

Without waiting he turned on his heel and strode purposefully down the hall he came from, leading them deeper into the barracks. Cloud stooped to grab his case and follow him as the others did the same, their shoes squeaking on the linoleum floors. That speech had been a little unnecessarily dramatic and he had a feeling that this was the lieutenants way getting respect from the off. The other boys may have been effected, but Cloud simply found it mildly annoying. 

“These are your quarters - 4 to a room. You’re not to leave the base on week days, but weekends are your own. Get settled in and collect your fatigues today, because we start first thing tomorrow. You four, in that room. You and you,” he pointed to Cloud and another boy. He had dark skin and hair, and was at least a head taller and a couple of years older than him. He was the definition of the blondes polar opposite. “You’re in there. Now get.”

He let the other go ahead of him, not keen on entering a room to an unknown quantity with someone he didn’t know at his back as well. 

The room was empty as it turned out, but not unlived in. Two bunks on one side were rumpled, as if hastily made, and some personal effects where scattered around them. The two on the other side looked untouched. 

The other kid looked down on Cloud, scrutinising him. “I think I’d better take the top bunk, unless ya have something against that.”

Surprised, Cloud glanced at him and nodded wordlessly. 

“I’m Darrell by the way. Darrell Weber.”

“Cloud Strife.” Cloud replied automatically, sinking slowly on the bed as Darrell started unpacking his bag, claiming one of the empty cubbies with his belongings. He watched the boy carefully as he tried to measure him up. 

Darrell glanced up and gave him a lopsided grin. “So what brings you here Cloud Strife?”

The blonde frowned, thinking it was obvious. “I want to join SOLDIER.”

Darrell laughed loudly and sat back on his haunches. “Well no shit. That’s why we’re all here ain’t it? I meant what brings you to SOLDIER? You must have really wanted to come all this way.”

Clouds frown melted into a look of confusion. He couldn’t know, could he? “What...”

“The accent. You’re a country bumpkin, or am  
I wrong?”

The accent? He’d lost his Nibel accent years ago - but then, that had been before. Had he really not noticed? He couldn’t help the flush creeping up his neck. 

Darrell stood to his full height again as Cloud scowled. “Hey, I didn’t say it was a bad thing.” Finished with his things, he hoisted himself roughly on to his bed, the metal frame protesting at the abuse. “So, are you gonna answer my question?”

Cloud bent to start unpacking his own things to hide his lack of having an actual answer prepared. From past experience, no one ever really cared to ask. After a moment, he cleared his throat, making a conscious effort to hide his embarrassing inflections. “Dunno, guess I want to protect my friends and family.” That was true enough, wasn’t it? Why he was doing all of this?

Darrell whistled. “That’s pretty deep. I just wanted to get out of the slums and the best way to do that is to get drafted. My ‘rents aren’t thrilled but, hey, maybe one day I’ll get them up here too.”

Cloud remembered vividly the derelict environment that was Midgars underbelly. He’d had flashes of it through the train windows on his way here, but he didn’t need those images to remember the conditions. And it had just as many unsavoury characters and places as there was plate side. He didn’t blame the kid for wanting to get out. Not knowing what else to say, and not really interested in drawing out the conversation, he let the silence ring out for a while. Darrell seemed comfortable enough to do the same, lounging around and already making himself at home while Cloud was packing his meagre possessions into his own cubby. 

Eventually though, a noise out in the corridor caught their attention. It sounded like a stampede was coming their way - laughing and whooping accompanied by the sounds of boots hitting the ground as they got closer. Cloud straightened and moved back to his bed as Darrell propped himself up on his elbows, knowing that any moment now their door would open and their two roommates would appear. Clouds muscles tensed and habit had him reaching for a sword on his back that wasn’t there. Darrell caught the movement from the corner of his eye, but he made no comment on it. 

The blonde was too absorbed in his paranoia and distant memories to notice, and those had him half expecting a group of ShinRa troops to barge in and start shooting. 

In actual fact, the door burst open and two boys in the middle of rough housing fell through, laughing and hitting the floor with a heavy thud. 

Cloud and Darrell, the former still tensed to spring into action, watched as the two seemingly didn’t notice them and continued to wrestle, yelping and whooping as the they struggled to top the other. It wasn’t until another boy stuck his head in the room that they were finally noticed, and he sent a kick at the tangle of limbs. “Looks like you two have some roomies.”

They stopped their squirming and looked up at the two newcomers, before launching to their feet and looking sheepish. 

“Hey, didn’t know we were getting some fresh meat.”

“Yeah, we maybe would have made a more sophisticated entrance. First impressions and all that.”

Clouds muscles relaxed one by one, his instincts crawling to the back of his mind in the absence of any danger. The guy on the left wore his fatigues but they were rumpled and untucked in places, his short dark blonde hair sticking messily in all directions. The guy on the right wasn’t in a much better state, but his hair was a light brown and cropped in a buzz cut, so at least he had that going for him. These guy couldn’t be any older that 15 either.

“So what are your names?”

When a semi-awkward silence made it obvious that Cloud wasn’t going to answer, Darrell stepped in. “I’m Darrell, this guy is Cloud. He doesn’t seem to be much of a talker.”

The boy on the left hummed. “Well I’m Stefan, this is is Marcus.” 

“Yeah, we’ve been here for three days. The other guys that bunked here left pretty much straight way - couldn’t take the slog.”

“Or the extra curricular activities. It was the water boarding that finished off Matthews.” 

Finished, the pair stared at Cloud and Darrell. Cloud looked at them incredulously, knowing full well they were talking out of their asses. Darrell, to his credit, kept a straight face, but you could see in his eyes that he was trying to work out if they were joking or not. 

“Wow, not the reaction I was expecting...” Marcus scratched the back of his head, chucking. 

“But at least we know who the most guillable out of the two of you.” Stefan chimed in, smirking pointedly at Darrell and waggling a finger in his direction. 

In response, Darrell scoffed and flopped backwards in his bunk. “Whatever, I knew you were messing.”

Cloud checked out of the conversation, climbing into his bunk to scan over some of the pamphlets that he’d found in his cubby. The three boys continued to banter between them, poking fun at him sometimes and trying to draw him info the conversation, but he studiously ignored them. It was unbelievably rude, but he didn’t come here to make friends. 

Fail to prepare and prepare to fail, as the saying went. He needed to remember exactly what he was getting himself in to. His memory of bootcamp was fuzzy to say the least. 

*****

Cloud flopped on to his mattress with grim satisfaction. He was lucky he’d even made it there without collapsing in a heep. Darrell groaned loudly as he dragged himself up onto his bunk, and the blonde was suddenly very glad that he’d let him take that bed when they arrived. 

Being a Cadet in Bootcamp was it’s own special brand of torture. He desperately tried to think about anything other than his burning muscles, but the full body ache demanded his attention. He forgot how much he could hurt. 

Every day, you reported in for breakfast at 6am, which was generic slop masquerading as porridge, after a cold shower. By 7am, you were out on the track field doing laps as a warm up. The drills that followed were long and gruelling and, by lunch time, there was often one more cadet who was packing their bag and leaving. 

Afternoons were just as intense, but on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays, they had a reprieve (depending on your perspective) as instead they would have a seminars on ShinRa policy, Code of Conduct and basic combat and Materia theory. 

ShinRa liked to do things quickly - you only tended to be in bootcamp for 4-5 weeks, depending on recruitment, but they were also very picky. Sorting the wheat from the chaff so to speak. If you did well enough, you went into the full SOLDIER programme. 

If you didn’t... well you were shipped off to the Army to be a grunt. Sure you could re-apply after a year of military service, but he wasn’t sure how. He’d never done it himself. 

Tonight, to finish up, they’d had to run around the track again for more time than he cared to remember, but this time with weighted backpacks. 

Stefan and Marcus finally dragged themselves through the door, dead on their feet. 

“How the fuck did you get here so fast? I had to stop for breath every few steps.” Marcus moaned melodramatically, throwing himself on to his own bunk much harder than necessary. 

Darrell chuckled. “The quicker you get here, the sooner you get to lie down and not move for 10 hours.”

“The man has a point,” Stefan chimed in. He gave up at the finish and chose instead to sink to the floor by the door, leaning against the wall for support. “Is it the weekend yet?”

“One more day to go.” Marcus answered, his voice muffled by the covers he was face down on. “What are we doing?”

The three chattered and Cloud turned his attention back to his aches and pains. 

“Are you coming this weekend?”

When the question was met with silence, he glanced up and saw that Marcus had peeled his face off the bed and was looking directly at him. 

“No.” His response was automatic, but the voice of Darrell in the bed above him echoing it made him frown at the underside of the mattress above him. 

His head popped over the edge. “You’re so predictable.”

“Yeah, you said that last week too. Keep turning us down and we might stop asking!” 

Cloud turned his head to look at Stefan, “That’s what I was banking on.”

He wasn’t prepared for the flash of hurt that crossed the boys face, or the twinge of guilt he felt when it did. 

“Hey, uncalled for.” Marcus chime back in. “We’re just trying to be nice guys. Believe it or not, you need friends in a shithole like this. There’s no need to be such a dick.”

Cloud stared at him silently for a while, his expression cool and not for a single second betraying his thoughts. 

Over the last week or so, he’d started to get a handle on the kind of people his roommates were. Darrell was quite laidback, not taking things too seriously. Stefan was full of charm and could talk to anyone about anything, Marcus... well he seemed quite reserved at first, but was slowly showing his true self. As shown by his outburst. Marcus wasn’t one to rock the boar, so he had caught the blonde by surprise. He’d also unwittingly made a valid point, that had a more profound effect than he could have expected. 

Despite Cloud’s lonesome upbringing in Nibelheim, life had shown him time and time again that it had always been his friends that had seen him through his worst moments, and helped him up at the other side. 

Right now, he was alone in his mission. He didn’t know if and when he was going to see Zack and Aerith, and what part they were going to play in this version of events. These guys may not be tough SOLDIERs or Ancients with a connection to the Planet, but going things alone certainly hadn’t played out well for him in the past. 

And he forgotten, in his hate for ShinRa and his experience with fighting AGAINST it, that not everyone that worked for the company was inherently bad. 

Yes, there were certainly a lot of them. Greedy leaders and manipulative executives were abound. But a lot of the companies employees were just normal people who needed a job. Who were just like HIM when he’d first came to Midgar. He’d fought to remain aloof and distant, but anyone could see that these three weren’t bad people. 

They may not be able to help him when it came down to it, but surely it couldn’t hurt to be friendly to the people who were to him. 

He’d been silent so long, staring into Marcus’s eyes that the other was starting to look uncomfortable, like something he saw there was making him worry. 

The blonde sighed and broke eye contact. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Stefan gasped mockingly from the other side of the room, clutching at his chest and effectively breaking the tension that had been bu. “Strife, apologising?! Well I never!”

Cloud scoffed, laying back down to fold his arms behind his head and close his eyes. “Don’t get used to it.”

The three of them laughed, and Stefan finally started to crawl across the floor to his bunk. 

“So are you coming?” Darrell asked from above, obviously aiming it at Cloud. 

“I suppose so.”

*****

“How about we go to a titty bar?”

Stefans suggestion was met with three blank stares. He looked indignant. “What? I don’t see you lot giving a better suggestion.”

It was Saturday afternooon and the four of them were sat at a corner café on Loveless Avenue, trying to decide what to do for the day. Cloud had spent the morning in the gym, only to be found by the others once they eventually rolled out of bed at 11am. Stuck between Marcus and Stefan’s guilt trips and wanting to prove Darrell wrong, he had begrudgingly allowed the the three of them to lead him into the streets Midgar, much to their delight.

Cloud has refrained from offering any suggestions in general, as he would have personally preferred to spend his time in solitude, and he had no idea what Midgar had to offer these days. The others were just plain stumped about how to fill in their weekend. 

“As if we’d get in anyway,” Marcus observed, pausing to take a sip of his sugar riddled ice slushy. “Darrell might, at a push but there’s no way Cloud would.” 

Stefan shot a dirty look at Clouds drink of choice. “Maybe if they spoke to you they’d change their mind. I’ve never met kid who drinks black coffee and likes to get up at 5:30 in the morning before. I swear you’re 14 going on 40.”

Cloud frowned, glancing down at his cup. He hadn’t thought about it. Typical teenagers didn’t usually drink coffee did they? Then again, he was a mountain boy. For all anyone knew, it may not be unusual. Who would really care enough about what he liked to drink anyway?

“It’s just a drink...”

“Hey, you do you little man.” Cloud practically growled at Darrell, but the other pointedly ignored it and carried on. “There’s not much to do around here when you have no money. We could go to the park?”

Marcus scoffed, “And do what, make Daisy chains?”

“Maybe you could make one for the waitress you were drooling over.”

He went violently red from the neck up. “I wasn’t drooling.”

“Sure you weren’t.” Stefan smirked and nudged him with his elbow. “You just had to scrape your jaw off the floor instead.”

Having had enough with his quick temper, Marcus shot him a look and punched him in the arm as hard as he could. In response, Stefan reached out but ended up grabbing thin air as Marcus shot to his feet and dashed away from the café. The blonde swore loudly and shot up himself, knocking his chair flying as he chased after his friend. 

Cloud and Darrell were left sitting there, receiving dirty looks from other patrons who’s attention had been caught by the commotion. Darrell signed and got up, righting the chair that Stefan had left in his wake and looked at Cloud. “I guess we better go find them before they kill each other.”

He hummed and picked up his cup, draining it of it’s dark liquid. As they walked away, Darrell pulled a face. “Seriously though, how do you drink that stuff?”

*****

“Have you heard about Genesis Rhapsodos?” A recruit whispered to his friend as Cloud passed. He didn’t stop to listen, but he was on his way to the mess hall to have that very conversation himself. He’d been hearing that statement all morning, and wanted to know if his roommates had heard anything more. He’d been tense, having a feeling he already knew what had happened. 

He spotted Marcus and Darrell the moment he walked in and made a beeline towards them. He sat down abruptly and didn’t bother to say hello, shocking the two of them, before he leaned forward and spoke quietly. “What do you know about Genesis Rhapsodos?”

Marcus shrugged, spooning some potato into his mouth. Darrell on the other hand was more helpful. “We’ve heard something’s going on, but we’re not sure what.” He murmured. “Stefan is doing some recon.”

Stefan had a definite knack of finding out what he wanted to know without seeming so obvious. If he kept going on the track he was, he’d make a great Turk. With a pang, a fleeting thought of Vincent flashed briefly in his mind, before he wrestled it back. 

“So where is he?” 

Darrell gave him a funny look. “I didn’t take you for a gossip.”

Cloud frowned. “I’m not... I just think something bad has happened and I want to know what.”

“You’re right about that.” Stefan sighed as he slid onto the seat beside Cloud with his tray, looking disturbed. 

“What’s up?” Marcus asked. Cloud just stared at him intently, his stomach doing flip flops at the implications. He wished he was wrong. 

“They’re saying that Genesis has deserted ShinRa, and convinced a load of 2nd and 3rd Classes to go with him.”

The silence that reigned over the table was palpable. Marcus and Darrell were shocked, but Cloud felt nothing but a sense of dread. 

This... was the first event in a long line of circumstances that lead to Nibelheim. And he’d done nothing to stop it. 

He tried to temper his own rage at himself. What could he really have done between waking up in the past and now, that would have prevented Genesis from deserting. For gods sake, he didn’t even know what the trigger was to make Genesis leave, his memories of everything that happened before he originally came to ShinRa were vague at best. 

“So, what does that mean?” Marcus asked quietly. 

Stefan, unusually serious, stared at his tray. “It means that a First Class SOLDIER is now an enemy of ShinRa, and he has his own small, enhanced army.”

They sat in silence for a while, each milling over their own thoughts on the matter. This was bad news for everyone, one way or another. Not only was ShinRa already at war with the nation of Wutai, they now had to contend with a monster of their own creation. 

Eventually, Darrell looked at him. “Are you not going to get any lunch?”

Cloud shook his head weakly, eyes fixed on the table. “I’m not hungry.”

His appetite had raced away with his thoughts, as he truly worried about what he had to do. And how the hell he was supposed to accomplish it. 

****

Cloud ran around the track, sweat pouring down his face as he hoisted the weighted pack back onto his shoulders when it slid down. It was a Saturday, but news of Genesis going MIA had spurred him to action. 

He had to get stronger. 

Mako enhancements were just that, enhancements. They worked off what you already had and amplified it, whether that was ability, strength or speed. The better physical condition he was in when he received the treatment, the better he would be after. 

It was for that reason that he could be found putting in extra work, despite his already limited rest time and abused body. 

And it was also for that reason that his three bunkmates were sat in the dust, lazing around at the tracks edge. 

For all of his flaws and his unsociable attitude, Marcus, Stefan and Darrell had stuck around. He had forgotten what it was like to make - dare he say it - friends, in normal circumstances. Too many times he had forged friendships at the heart of a conflict. He was often seen as abrupt and difficult to approach by new faces, and his habitual stoicness did nothing to alleviate that, but he had found, with their perseverance, he was becoming more comfortable. They were used to his brooding silence and were content to carry conversations between themselves until he deigned to join them. 

He finished his lap and made his way over to the boys. He dumped his pack unceremoniously on the ground and picked up his water bottle, chugging half of it in one go. He dared not sit down, because if he did he might not get back up. 

“Having fun out there?” 

He shrugged in response, screwing the cap back on. “You don’t have to hang around.”

Marcus huffed, drawing lines in the dust in front of him with his finger. “Nothing better to do.”

“You could join me.”

That had the boy looking up at him with an incredulous look. “Yeah. Right. I’m not a masochist.”

The blonde smirked, but didn’t say anymore, electing instead to stretch his back with a satisfying pop. 

“So, only a week left to go until this fresh hell is over.” Stefan sighed, breaking the brief silence. 

Darrell laughed. “You think the SOLDIER programme is going to be easier?”

Stefan shared a look with Marcus and shrugged. 

Darrell looked confused, but Cloud frowned, picking up what they weren’t saying aloud. “You don’t think you’ll get in.”

Marcus leant back, resting on his elbow. “Well, when you look at the other guys we’re up against, I’d say our chances are slim at best.” He jerked his head over at Darrell. “You two might be doing okay. But I’m prepared to be booted off.”

“Me too.” Stefan chimed in, seemingly unfazed. 

Darrell shot him a look. “You’ll end up with the Turks. Mark my words.”

Stefan scoffed but he didn’t dispute it. More than once Cloud had had the same thought. He reminded him of Reno, in a way.

Mini break over, Cloud picked up his backpack and hefted it back over his shoulders. He readjusted and set back off on the track at a trot. 

“Try not to break a leg, teachers pet!”

Cloud smirked, but chose not to dignify it with a response. 

****

“Just don’t talk to anyone unless I do and we’ll be fine.”

Marcus and Stefan were understandably nervous as they made their way off the train and into the Slums of sector 2. It was their first foray into Midgar’s dark underbelly, and Cloud didn’t think they were really prepared for what they were seeing. It was something you got used to over time. 

Darrell had convinced the boys to come down with him to meet his parents and, although Cloud was exhausted from all of the extra work he’d put in yesterday, he’d been inclined to come. 

As Stefan and Marcus’s wide eyes nervously darted around their immediate vicinity, his couldn’t help but keep wandering in the direction of Sector 5. He still hadn’t been to see Aerith yet, and part of him was sorely tempted to leave the boys and make his way their right this second. Much like he’d felt many times over the past four weeks. 

What stopped him, was his own cowardice. He wasn’t sure he could face it if she of all people didn’t remember him. After everything they had been through together, after watching her die, and everything she’d done for him from the other side, and after that last meeting before his world had been irrevocably turned upside down. He just couldn’t face it. And the thought of dragging her into this when she deserved to live happily sat bitterly in his throat. 

He’d go if and when it felt right. 

He dragged his attention back to his friends as they picked their way through the rough paths lined with rubbish and shrapnel, distracting himself from the pull of his former friend.

“How could you live here?” Stefan whispered, as if worried he’d be overheard by the wrong ears, which was always a very real risk.

Darrell shrugged, seeming nonchalant about it all, but Clouds trained eyes picked up on the stiffness of his shoulders and his clenched jaw. “Didn’t have a choice.”

He obviously hated it. Who wouldn’t? He didn’t say anything, letting Darrell play his charade of being unbothered. 

The teen led them to a shanty with a rudimentary door. He grinned over his shoulder at them before he pushed it open. 

“Mom, pop, I’m home!”

There was a patter of light feet and a small dark form lunged from seemingly nowhere to throw their arms around his middle. 

The air left him in a whoosh as a young boy with the same eyes and mouth grinned up at him with unadulterated joy. H

“Damon!” Darrell coughed, patting the boy of the back. “Easy man.”

He motioned for the three of them to follow him in, just as a man and woman hurried from a small doorway across the room. The woman cried out, running across the room to throw her arms around her son as his father approached with a now familiar grin on his face. 

The family resemblance was striking, even in the semi-darkness. 

His mother wore a long dress, patched in places where it had worn through, and her hair was pulled into a tight bun. His father, on the other hand, was still in what Cloud assumed was his work gear. His skin was lightened by patches of dust and his hefty boots belied his trade, he likely did clean up or construction work. 

“My boy!” His mother cried out laughing, before pulling away. Her mood did a complete one 180 as she held him at arms length, a head shorter than him but a whole lot more intimidating as she gave him a look that only a mother could. “I told you to visit. Why has it taken so long?”

“Four weeks mom, it’s been barely any time at all! These are my friends.”

Darrel took the time to introduce them one by one, as the three of them stood somewhat awkwardly off to the side. 

Marcus, feeling more comfortable now that he was inside, smiled shyly. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr and Mrs Weber.”

“Oh! Don’t Mr and Mrs us, sweetness. Mom and Pop will do just fine. Come in, come in. Goddess knows you could someone to look after you, working for that ShinRa.”

They allowed her to lead them into a small kitchen, taken up by a large table with 4 mismatched chairs. It was basic, a stove and a sink, no refrigeration in sight, but it wasn’t unusual in a shanty such as this. The fact that they even had a stove was wonder enough. She ushered them to sit, and set about making a large pot of tea as Darrell and the boys told them about their time in bootcamp so far. 

“They’re working you boys good aren’t they.” Pop frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as he leant against the wall.

“No more that what you do when the work is there.” Darrell gave him a pointed look. 

Cloud accepted the the cup he was offered with a quiet thank you. 

For all Darrell’s family situation was far from perfect, much like everyone else’s, Cloud always found it just a little heartwarming that positivity could still shine through the murk and smog. He had always kept a reasonable distance from others and focused his mind on other things to keep from feeling any sort of grief for others circumstances, he had enough of his own problems without adding someone elses. But these were good people, who had raised a good son. He knew if he were to express his sorrow for them, it would be unwelcome. They knew what they did and didn’t have and didn’t need him to feel sorry for them. But as he sipped his tea and observed their family unit and dynamic, he made a mental note to himself. The better future he was striving for was just as much for them as it was for anyone. 

“We have our last test next week.” Darrell pipped up, breaking Clouds line of thought. 

“Yeah, one more hoorah and then we get lumped with our assignments.”

Mom began bustling around the kitchen. “Well if that’s the case, I better make you boys a hearty home cooked meal then. Feed you up ready.”

“There’s really no need, Mrs Weber-“

“Mom.” She corrected him shortly. “And nonsense. I’m gonna make it and you’re gonna eat it, got it?”

After that declaration, no one dared to argue.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the kudos, comments and bookmarks so far! You’re all awesome!!! Have a new chapter.

Today was the day. The physical exam. 

All 41 of the cadets currently running through the SOLDIER program were lined up into 4 groups, standing in the Midgar wastes about a mile away from the city. 

Cloud hadn’t even realised that there was so many of them at this point. There had only been around 15 of them the last time he’d done this. 

There was a constant mist of rain falling on their heads that already had them soaked to the bone as they waited to start. An assault course of sorts had been set up for them to run as part of their ‘final’ test for entering into SOLDIER.

They’d sat a written test the day before, and both would count towards the decision of whether or not to promote someone, on top of their performance throughout the last four weeks, and the results of their medical. 

As they’d exited their exam, they all came face to face with some of ShinRa scientists, as they graced the barracks with their presence. Cloud had stopped in his tracks, his whole body tensing up when he laid eyes on them.

A quick scan of the crowd showed him that Hojo was not among them, far be it below him to come down and test his future victims himself. That in itself calmed his nerves somewhat, but he still wasn’t happy about it being sprung on him so suddenly. 

His friends has found his behaviour odd, but accepted the explanation that he didn’t like doctors. He’d recovered and stood in line as they were each called behind a series of curtains for an quick assessment and a blood draw. He found some solace that he was in his own turf, away from the labs, and surrounded by people who would notice if something went ary. 

That being said, Hojo’s interest in him extended only to his feat of strength against Sephiroth in the Nibelheim reactor. He had no reason to believe that he was on any more interest now, genetically speaking, than he had been the first time around.

The flip side of that, however, was that this specific part of everything was what had stopped him from being put into SOLDIER from the get go. He’d spent some time thinking about how to get around it, but he’d come up empty. Shy of swapping his sample out for someone else’s, he had no ideas. And that was Turk work, not his forte. 

Back on the field, Cloud stood in the second row, waiting for the lieutenant to signal the first group to set off. There was nothing more he could do on that front, so he just had to show he was capable now, and pray to the Planet that they knew what they were doing by sending him back. 

It was a brutal and muddy assault. After a gunshot into the air, the first set of cadets - Marcus included - went off with bursts of speed, sprinting to the first hurdle - a rope net they had to climb to the top and jump off. After 15 minutes, a second gunshot had Cloud surging forward. 

While most people tried to get as far as they could in the quickest time possible, Cloud hung back, steady in his pace as he made it to the rope. People were already halfway up the net as he began his climb. 

A boot to the face was what greeted him at his halfway point, and he blinked heavily as he clung on. His nose hurt, but it wasn’t broken at least. He wasn’t sure whether the boy above him had slipped, or done it on purpose, but he kept going anyway. It didn’t matter. 

He steadily made his way across the course, people from his group slowly falling behind him as they burned themselves out in the beginning, just as he’d expected. He’d made an effort to conserve his energy, saving for a final push at the end instead. It wasn’t a race, but a bad time could reflect a bad score and strong finish always looked better than a strong start. 

He leapt over a pit, ignoring the boys that hadn’t made it over and were trying to climb out, and began to climb a rope up to a platform.

Yet again, halfway up, his rope began to sway wildly and his grip slipped a little, his hands burning. 

Below, a boy was staring up at him, the same one that had hit him in the face, his eyes alight with malice. He held the rope in his hand, and he was swinging it as he grinned. “Hurry up Strife!”

Cloud growled, unsure what he’d done to make this boy start sabotaging his trial. He’d seen him around, and heard sly comments from him on occasion, but he’d never actually spoken to him before. He’d written him off as just another teenage idiot and chose to ignore him. 

He could see Darrell behind them. He’d obviously noticed what was going on by the scowl on his face, but he was too far away to do anything to help, and Stefan was further back still. 

He looked up at the platform. He could just try to make it up. Or he could do something about this asshole. 

Making a snap decision, he let go of the rope and dropped in a controlled fall. The boy stepped back, shocked, as Cloud managed to land nimbly on the balls of his feet. Not missing a beat, Cloud swung his foot out and kicked, sending the other stumbling backwards. With a shriek, he fell into the pit, followed by an ‘oof’ from the guys he had landed on. Not loosing any more time, he leapt back onto the rope and continued his ascent. 

The rest of the course went smoothly, or as smoothly as it could all things considered. Cloud put on a burst of speed right at the end as he vaulted over some fences and sprinted for the finish line. 

Right as he crossed the line, something unexpected barged him from the side and he was sent sprawling into the mud face first. 

A hush fell upon the crowd of boys as he peeled himself from the floor and pulled himself to his knees. 

He looked around at the boy that stood over him with his arms crossed. “I saw what you did to Collins.”

Cloud continued to stare at him, his face a mask of impassiveness, but he felt a smidge of annoyance spark within him that had him clenching his fists. “And?” He spat petulantly.

“Well I didn’t like it.” The boy took a step forward, obviously meaning for it to be menacing. 

Cloud continued to stare him down as that annoyance grew into anger. He was done with dealing with bullies and arrogant kids, he’d been done with that for a long time. In his previous life, he’d not been able to defend himself, but he could now. 

He pulled himself to his feet and turned to face his aggressor, who in turn scowled. All he could see was the echoes of the kids in Nibelheim laughing, the adults sneering, the cadets who’d pushed him around. He took a step forward. 

Before he could do or say anything else, a tall shape stepped up and blocked his field of vision, flanked by two others. He blinked, and found Darrell, Marcus and Stefan all standing in front of him. 

“Yeah, I saw what Collins did to Cloud too. I didn’t like that.” Darrell spoke up. 

“And I didn’t like what you just did.” Stefan chimed in. “Funny that, isn’t it.”

Marcus stayed silent, but Cloud could see from his profile that he was tensed up. 

“Hey, Collins didn’t do anything-“

Darrell scoffed. “Come off it, Brett. We’re not blind or stupid. You got a problem with our friend, then you’ve got a problem with us too.”

“That’s enough.”

A lot of the boys around them jumped at the booming sound of Lieutenant Martins voice, breaking up the crowd that had started to form. 

The man strode forward, taking in the scene before him. Cloud covered in a ridiculous amount of mud, even after what they’d been through, and the standoff between the four others. 

“I saw some questionable things happening on that field today. Unacceptable things. Some things that I think require some time in the military to stamp out of you.” He eyes wandered the crowd, lingering on Cloud. He froze up. Had he just messed up his own chance at getting into SOLDIER? “Brett.”

The boy that had shoved Cloud stood to attention. “Yes sir?”

“When we get back, you can report to my office so we can discuss your future in SOLDIER.” The look of horror on the boys face was almost comical. “I’ll let you pass that message on to Collins, Daniels and Bruce. Now, everybody back to the trucks.”

Whispers broke out among the crowd as they moved towards the transport vehicles. No one had actually been kicked out of the program like that so far, and Cloud felt a swell of relief that he hadn’t been one of them. 

“Dude, I didn’t know what you were going to do.” Darrell mumbled, nudging Cloud as they walked. “Had to step in before you got yourself in trouble.”

Cloud shrugged, glancing at Brett as he miserably made his way across the wastes with crowd, eyes on the ground. “Maybe I would have, maybe I wouldn’t have.”

“Well, let’s not try to find out in future, yeah? You can’t just go around picking fights.” Stefan said with a smirk.

Cloud scoffed. “I didn’t exactly start it.” What he didn’t say, was that he had intended to finish it. 

He was a little shaken by his irrationality. For the most part, he grown into a rather level headed individual, but he’d let his emotions about his past experiences get the better of him. Yes he’d sworn to himself many, many moons ago that he would not let himself be that bullied boy again, but that didn’t mean he had to lash out at someone for something so stupid either. He’d have to keep a better check on himself in the future.

He blamed it on the confusion of being a teenager with hormones, with adult experiences and a broken mind. Goddamn. 

He hopped up into the truck, trailing mud as he made his way to the back to sit down. He looked down at his fatigues with a crinkled nose, as the wet mud stained almost every inch of him. 

The first stop for him when he got back to Midgar, a shower, swiftly followed by the barracks laundry services. 

****

“What’s going on over there?” Marcus asked as they walked across the training ground, taking a short cut to the mess hall for breakfast. 

“Weren’t they giving us our assignments today?” Stefan asked, not waiting for a response before making a beeline to the building crowd by the bulletin board. 

Of course.

Today was the day they were going to announce who had scored where and whether they’d be promoted to the SOLDIER program, and who would enter the army. He hadn’t remembered that they would just post it out on the bulletin board though... he had hoped that, even if he got through, he would get a chance to grieve in private. 

Cloud trailed behind his friends and stopped, not wanting to get caught in the swell of the crowd that were pushing and shoving to get to the front.

Darrell, being a giant, forged on through and cut a path for their bunk mates. “Move over, coming through.”

He lost sight of Stefan and Marcus but he could see Darrells head sticking out of the crowd well enough. 

“Ah man, I thought I nailed it.”

“You can always try again.”

“Has anyone ever got in when they reapply?”

“Woooo, I passed!”

“Barely.”

“It’s still a pass, ain’t it?”

They were just some of the statements and yelling that were floating around him as some broke away from the crowd looking either ecstatic or dejected.

“Cloud!” He spotted Darrell looking at him with a grin splitting his face. “You smashed it man! Top marks!”

A lot of eyes were suddenly on him. He glared daggers at Darrell who just laughed and turned away. 

“Who is that kid?” 

“Cloud Strife, Stefan and Marcus’s roomie.” 

“How the hell did that scrawny guy get top marks and I didn’t even pass? I beat him in the relay..” 

“This is bullshit.”

Cloud frowned but didn’t comment as the general sentiment of the crowd shifted in direction. This was not attention that he wanted, nor needed right now. He didn’t want to stand out from the majority, just be on the right end of the bell curve. He’d taken full advantage of the opportunity to improve his physique and physical fitness, almost to the point of injury over the last four and a half weeks, and with the theory exam, he’d answered the questions as honestly as he could. He certainly hadn’t expected to come out top of the class. 

He inwardly kicked himself for not thinking it through though. He’d had to put the work in, but how was he supposed to know where to draw the line? He wanted to be a good candidate, not a damned prodigy. He didn’t want any special attention. The more value he showed to ShinRa, the more he would be watched, and the more he was watched, the harder it would be to cripple the company. 

And then, the other aspect of it all came rushing to him. He’d passed the medical assessment... someone, somewhere, thought he was capable of being a SOLDIER. Had something changed? He looked down at his hands as he held them in front of him, clenching and opening slowly. What though...?

Darrell forced his way back out of the crowd, ignoring people’s muttering about Cloud and his own rude gesture. He flung one arm around Cloud’s shoulders, pulling him out of thoughts, and used the other to ruffle his spikes as he began to lead him away. “Who’d have thought five weeks ago that this little twerp was a genius and physical god?”

Stefan stepped out of sea people, closely followed by Marcus, and sniffed indignantly. “I had a feeling. It’s always the quiet ones you have to watch.”

“No you didn’t Stefan. It’s just as much a surprise to you as it is to us.” Marcus nudged him in the ribs in jest. 

“How did you all do?” Cloud asked, desperate to deflect the attention away from himself. 

Darrell grinned, drawing himself up to his full height. “I got through. My scores weren’t as good as yours, but good enough.”

He turned to Marcus and Stefan and felt his heart sink. The two of them didn’t look like they had good news. 

Despite that, Marcus didn’t look too down about it. “Didn’t get through.”

Stefan shook his head. “Me neither.”

Darrell frowned, looking between them. “So that means-”

“Yep, we’ll be off to the army, just as we expected.” Marcus finished for him. “But you can tell us if it’s worth applying again.” 

Stefan smirked at Cloud then. “At least we’ll know that we have SOLDIER extraordinaire Strife and his trusty sidekick to protect us lowly grunts in battle.”

Cloud blushed and became acutely aware that Darrell still had his arm around him when the taller of the two jostled him in his indignation, before man-handling him towards the mess hall again. 

He shrugged the arm off and shoved his hands in his fatigues pockets, his shoulders and back hunched. 

“Looks like ChocoBoy is embarrassed.” Marcus snickered from his far left. 

“No I’m not.” Cloud snapped before he could stop himself. 

Stefan laughed. “He’s got some peck after all!” 

Having had enough, and particularly cowed by the Chocobo jokes, Cloud reached up and hit the other blonde around the back of the head, huffed, and stormed off ahead. 

The three had frozen, watching the young teen as he went with eyes wide. After a moment, Darrell grinned before taking off after him. “Claws too.”


	6. Chapter 6

There wasn’t much fanfare with the promotion into the SOLDIER program. 

The following Sunday, after packing up their meagre belongings, they were escorted to the SOLDIER residential block by a sole Second Class. He’d explained where to report to the next morning, and that was that - he left. 

The other guys were all hanging around the common area, chatting happily amongst themselves about their achievement. Not feeling in the mood to take part, Cloud bid a quiet farewell to Darrell and made his way over to his own room. He was greeting by a room number and a plastic name card bearing his last name on the door. 

Grimacing at it, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, quickly locking it behind him with the key hanging on the inside. 

Thankful that he now had an element of privacy in his life, he took a moment to take in his new home. It was terribly small, but to Cloud is was like heaven after living and sleeping in a single room with 3 other boys for over a month, especially since one of them snored like a Hippogriff with a head cold. 

He had three rooms - a small living area and kitchenette, a private bathroom and a bedroom. The mattress was lumpy, and the bathroom was cramped, but he didn’t care. 

In the small wardrobe, he found his new uniform - light blue, the colour for Third Class. He stood and stared at it for the longest time, the thought that he had made it into SOLDIER, finally sinking in. He’d never worn this colour uniform. 

Zack had dressed him in a First Class getup when they’d escaped the labs in Nibelheim, and Cloud had allowed himself to believe he belonged in it for the longest time. 

He was torn between the traumatic memories this simple find had unearthed, and a small sense of relief. For the first time, and after everything he had been through, he was finally going to wearing this uniform, and it be his. 

Along with these changes, his schedule was completely different. As probationary SOLDIER Third Class until they received the Mako treatment, they were in a purgatory of sorts. They would be assigned missions and tasks appropriate to their skill, but they still had contact time with trainers and seminars to attend. 

He would be trained in Swordplay, Close Quarters Combat and Practical Materia Application, to name a few. 

Cloud didn’t really need training in swordplay and Materia when it came to theory and know-how, all things considered, but he could definitely use the practice time to get to grips with his current physical situation. AKA his teenage body, as opposed to being a fully grown, mako enhanced adult.

The trainers would be members so SOLDIER, and he could help the twinge of dread mixed with excitement that particular fact enticed. 

While Sephiroth would no doubt think teaching the next generation was below his station, he knew that this meant there was a chance he’d meet Zack. 

He wandered around, checking out his amenities and putting his things away, before sitting down on his couch. As of tomorrow, he’d officially begin his duty as a SOLDIER, and he would be one step closer to his goal. He let his head fall back on the rest and he closed his eyes. 

He might as well take some time to relax, while he had the chance.

***

Three days after his promotion, Cloud was sat in the ShinRa employees canteen for lunch, which was a whole lot better than what they got in the bootcamp one. He’d just finished a particularly boring lecture on strategic deployment of garrisons overseas. Darrell was out on a mission in the slums clearing out monsters, so he was sat alone, eyes wandering the canteen with only a vague interest. 

“Hey Fair! Come sit with us.”

Clouds head shot up, the shout catching his attention like nothing else could. His eyes widening as he saw a black haired figure bounding across the room to a table full of SOLDIER Seconds. The hair was shorter, spiking up and back in every direction, the face younger and unscarred, but those eyes and that grin hadn’t changed despite everything he’d seen and done. He was looking at a 15 year old Zack. 

Where seeing his Mom for the first time had thrown him into a fit of panic and confusion, seeing Zack stunned him to silence, frozen and shell shocked. 

“How’d that mission go, Zack?”

The raven haired teen, sat back in his seat, arm slung over the back in an easy and carefree display. “Piece of cake. The troopers didn’t even need to use their guns.”

“Good, they probably would have missed anyway.” A couple of people around the table snickered at the jab. 

Zack didn’t miss a beat. “Their aims still probably better than yours.” The grin never left his face, softening the blow of his rebuke. 

Cloud paid little attention to what was said at the table, his attention solely on Zack. He searched his face, and felt the ache of badly wanting to reach out and touch something, to make sure it was real. 

“Hey Fair,” the boy sitting next to him said, nudging him with his elbow and jerking his head. “Looks like you have an admirer.”

It took a second for Cloud understand, too late, that the boy was referring to him. By that time, the whole table was turned to look at him with smirks on their faces, as he was still staring at Zack, no doubt looking starstruck in their eyes. He closed his mouth, which had been hanging slightly agape, with a snap and suddenly stood up, his chair scraping loudly on the floor. He fastened his eyes resolutely to his tray as a blush crept up his neck to cover his face. 

He was so embarrassed. He hadn’t felt like this since he was, well... a teenager. Was this... was he really...? Fucking hormones. 

He had to pass by the table to get out, so he made a point of looking straight ahead, all the while wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He heard the boys laugh as he hurried by and Zack mumbling. “Not cool you guys.”

He jammed his tray into the stand by door, not bothering to clear it, and was out of the room in a flash. 

As he walked down the corridor, he took a deep breath. Great, now Zack was going think he was a fucking weirdo. This was even worse than their meeting the first time around, when he was suffering from motion sickness in the helicopter. 

He was so busy festering about his embarrassing actions that he missed the heavy footsteps until it was too late. 

“Hey, slow down man!” Zack jogged up beside him, changing gracefully into a walk as he caught up with the blonde. 

Clouds breathe hitched in his throat as his steps faltered. Not only did he have to deal with his astounding embarrassment, he had no idea what to say. 

Zack, already a head taller than him, peered down to look under Clouds bangs. “You okay? You should just ignore those guys. They can be real douches, but we’re not all like that!”

Cloud nodded, not trusting his voice. But that had never stopped Zack before, why would it now?

“Are you new? I’ve never seen you around before.”

He swallowed heavily, but his reply still came out as a croak. “Yeah.”

“Thought so. I know most people in the program, and you sure do stand out with that hair.”

Cloud couldn’t help the automatic huff of indignation at the mention of his untameable mane. They came to a break in the hallway and, desperate to get away and gather his thoughts, he swung right and started down the hallway. As an afterthought, he mumbled, “Gotta go.”

Zack stopped as the blonde shot off, hands shoved in his pockets and his shoulders hunched. “Yeah, see you around!” He called at his retreating back. 

He stood and watched the him walk away before he disappeared around the corner. There was something about that kid. He’d seen ogling and fan-worship before, all you had to do was be in the same room full of newbies and a first class to see that. He’d also seen the dreamy stares of a person who was infatuated. That had not been either of those. 

It left him curious. The blonde felt vaguely familiar, and he was looking at him like something precious he’d lost but unexpectedly found. All of that, and yet he didn’t recognise him at all. And he didn’t even ask for the kids name...! He sighed inwardly as his own lack of foresight. 

“What are you standing there like that for?”

Zack jumped, spinning around and finding Kunsel standing behind him with a hand propped on his hip. His mouth, the only part of his face visible under his SOLDIER helmet, was quirked you into a smirk. 

“Why are you such a creeper?” Zack retorted, waving his arms in the air for effect. 

“You’re the one who was spaced out.” Kunsel replied, lightly shoving him towards the hallway on the left. “Come on, you have a session with Angeal to go to.”

“How the hell do you always know that?”

“I make a point of knowing things.”

The pair wandered down the hallway, and Zack pushed his thoughts about the blonde to the back of his mind. For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short one but it seems like a good place to stop.
> 
> And much love to everyone who’s taken a moment to read this story, and especially to those who’ve stopped to give kudos, leave a comment and bookmark it :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! I haven’t been very good at replying to reviews recently as I’ve been super busy, but I’ll try to get better!

Finally, after two weeks of sitting around and being talked at, Cloud stared at the little green orb in his hand. 

He knew without being told that it was a fire Materia, what with the soft warmth it left in his palm being a giveaway. His experience told him that it was nowhere near mastered, and it was not a natural Materia, meaning it had been made in the labs and was weaker than anything he had used in a while.

Just another example of ShinRa bastardising gifts given by the Planet. 

All of the trainees stood in a line on one of the outdoor training grounds, facing a row of targets. The aim of the game was to eventually set it on fire, but as the instructor said, it would likely be a while before anyone would manage that. First, they would focus on producing a spark of flame and then go from there. 

The instructor, who was a Second Class who’s name he couldn’t remember, seemed pretty clued up on the subject, which was good. His instructions were sound, in Clouds opinion, but he had no need for them. 

He observed his peers, each displaying varying methods of trying to conjure the magic. One boy was holding the orb reverently in both hands, as if praying, while the boy next to him was straining so hard, his eyes glued to his Materia, that a vein was popping out of his temple. Cloud thought he guy was likely to shit himself before he conjured a flame, and he almost snorted at the thought. 

“Remember, Materia uses your energy and converts it into the magic it holds. It doesn’t take it. You give it. Focus on feeding your energy into it.” The instructor was behind them, making his way up and down the row and examining the cadets efforts. 

Cloud turned his attention back to his own Materia. He just needed to make a little spark, not a fireball. He couldn’t remember ever trying to limit the strength of his magic, it wasn’t exactly one put into practice in life or death situations, but it shouldn’t be too hard. 

He pushed a little energy into it, focusing on coaxing it, rather than putting his all into his channeling. 

The orb began to heat up and Cloud saw it glow a little brighter within it as the object stirred to life. He’d never really took the time to observe one in action, or slowly cast. It was like a the light inside it seemed to spin and twist. He just needed a spark, just the smallest - FUCK.

He felt the magic surge within it - there was too much energy. Cloud threw his hand out automatically, the fireball arching forward with a roar and engulfing his target, along with the ones on each side. 

Cries of shock rang out across the grounds at the unexpected explosion, as people spun around trying to figure out where it had come from. The people closest to him had leapt away, as if scared he would explode, and take them along with him. 

Cloud stood, arm still outstretched, with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. What the fuck... he’d only wanted a small spark... not to blow half of the targets away. He stared in disbelief at the burning target. He barely even felt the dip in his energy, where he should already feel the sagging that Materia wielding caused to the inexperienced. 

He pulled his arm back, observing the Materia with interest. Where his body was untrained and weak, had his power for magic came back with him? In hindsight, it wasn’t all that far fetched to think so. 

“What the hell man! You almost set me on fire!”

“That was awesome!”

Cloud ignored the other cadets and turned his head to look at his instructor, seeing he was just as shocked as the rest of them. Not knowing what else to do, he drew himself up straight as a board, his arms by his side, the Materia still held loosely in his hand. “Sorry Sir.”

The instructor finally looked at him, eyes wide with surprise. “It‘s... it’s alright.” He glanced back at the target. “Do you think... you could do that again?”

By the end of the session, his instructor was referring him to join seminars in advanced Materia usage instead of attending his classes. 

‘For fuck sake.’

***

“Hey! You again!”

Cloud swung around in shock, his grip tightening around the hilt of his wooden sword. Zack stood before him, his hands propped on his hips and an easy grin on his face. 

He had been waiting for when he would see the teen again, refusing to be caught unprepared again. He let the sword dangle by his side and made a conscious effort to keep a straight face. “Hey.”

“Who’d have thought we’d run into each other like this, huh?”

Cloud blanched. He had, actually, but he wasn’t going to say that. 

“I’m doing the training today. Evans had to pull out - last minute mission - so I said I’d cover for him, you know.”

Around him, the other guys were staring in disbelief at the casual exchange he was having with a Second Class SOLDIER. 

Cloud nodded, but didn’t say a word.

Zack’s grin widened. “You don’t talk much do ya?”

Cloud shrugged, “Force of habit.”

The dark haired teen laughed, before addressing the room. “Right everyone! I’ve got you ladies aaaaaaaaall day, so saddle up and let’s mosey. Pair up!

Darrell, who had been utterly silent up until now, sidled up to Cloud. “Since when did you know Fair?”

Cloud shrugged again, it seemed he was doing a lot of that lately. “I don’t.”

Darrell gave him an incredulous look. “Yeah, sure.”

“Get in your stances and go wild for now, gentlemen! I’ll be coming around and offering some tips as we go. Once we’ve warmed up, I’ll teach you a couple of moves. 

Cloud looked at his wooden practice sword in disdain. It was far too light for his taste, what with wood weighing less than metal, his but it wasn’t like he hadn’t used a short sword before. The Fusion Sword was versatile, and so was he.

He sunk down, one foot sliding forward and the both back, leaving his legs wide and balancing his weight equally. Both hands gripped the hilt of his sword, pointing it up and forward. His right hand was doing most of the work, and his left held the sword looser. The plus side of light swords was you could wield them one handed when needed, so he was prepared to defend barehanded if he needed to. 

Darrell did the same, but he was favouring his back foot. “Let’s go Chocoboy.”

Cloud smirked, before he dashed forward. 

He got what he was looking for. Darrell, in his surprise, swung wildly and tripped over his own feet trying to get away, landing hard on his ass with an ‘ooof’. 

“What the hell man!” He yelled. 

Cloud couldn’t help himself, he burst out laughing at Darrells face, and the other boys’ look turned sheepish as the blonde offered him a hand up. 

“You caught me by surprise,” Darrell chuckled, accepting the help. “But you won’t do it again.”

“We’ll see.”

Zack walked around the room, observing pairs here and there. There was a couple of guys who he stopped to help, showing them where to grip the hilt for the best control over the sword, and correcting someone’s feet placement to keep their balance better, but overall the bunch weren’t bad, just beginners. 

He himself had been here not all that long ago. And look at him now, Second Class, mentored by a First Class. It just went to show that country boys could make it in the big city, if you put the work in. His eyes kept floating over to the blonde, Strife, someone had called him. He was currently swatting at his partners sword, not giving the boy an opening to swing back. 

His feet were firmly planted, but you could tell he was ready to move at a moments notice. Overall, Zack couldn’t find a single fault in his technique, which was quite unusual. The stance itself was also very familiar, but he couldn’t place it. His partner needed some work, but he too showed promise. 

From the corner of his eye, he saw the blonde stop as the other swapped the sword between hands, shaking his wrists put. The blonde pointed and approached, showing him something that Zack couldn’t see. As he moved away, the other teen readjusted his grip, before it was his turn to do on the offensive. 

Was he giving the kid tips?

Zack moved onto the next pair. He couldn’t just stand around and watch them all day. 

***

Cloud walked along the quiet corridor, towel and water bottle in hand. 

He had some free time, so he wanted to take advantage of another perk of making it into the programme. 

The SOLDIER gym. 

The electric door swooshed open as he approached, and before him sprawled an excessive amount of equipment, some of which looked so complex at first glance that he didn’t even know where to start. 

There were a couple of other SOLDIERS in the room, but they barely glanced at him before they returned to their workouts. 

Cloud made his way over to the treadmill, intent on warming up with a run. As he started out, walking at first, he took the opportunity to look over some of the machines in more detail. He’d never really been in a gym before - he’d never had reason to, monster fighting was enough usually. 

It wouldn’t hurt to start now though. Let’s face it, he had nothing better he could be doing with most of the day until he got his enhancements and could do more missions. 

After working up a bit of a sweat on the treadmill, he tried his luck on some of the less complicated machines. 

After about half an hour, the electric door to the gym swished open quietly behind him. He didn’t look around, too busy concentrating on controlling his row pulls. 

“Hey Strife!”

And then it all went to shit with two words. In his shock, he let go of the handles and the weights dropped suddenly, clattering against the rest plate. He swung around on the stool, seeing Zack walk over with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. He was wearing a grey tank top and sweats, a towel gripped loosely in his other hand. “Sorry dude, probably shouldn’t surprise someone who’s lifting weights.”

Cloud let out a puff of air, his heart hammering. “There’s no probably about it, you definitely shouldn’t.”

“Heh,” Zack moved to lean on the machine. “I don’t see many cadets in here to be honest - its good you’re putting in the extra work, but don’t forget to take some downtime too, ya know?” 

“Sure.”

Zack looked around, throwing a quick wave at the others across the room. “That was some good work in training the other day, by the way. I heard you’ve been put into Advanced Materia too - you’ll be a shoe-in for Second Class for sure.”

Surprise flitted across Cloud’s face, as a light dusting of red covered his cheeks. “How...?”

“A little birdy told me.” His eyebrows wiggled. “There’s only one Strife on the roster.”

He was a little stunned that Zack had taken the time to look into him, but it was also a little worrisome. If Zack was taking notice, then who else was? “Thanks... I guess.”

“Awwww, don’t be embarrassed.” He bent down, getting right in Clouds face. The blonde leaned back, eyes wide. “Between you and me, a lot of the guys have a lot of work to do before they get their enhancements. Take it as a compliment.”

Cloud shimmied backwards off the stool to regain some of his personal space. “Thanks. You’re a good teacher Fair.”

Zack scoffed and crossed his arms, “Call me Zack. And I didn’t really get a chance to teach you anything yet. Tell you what, those swordplay classes are gonna be a waste for you. How about you and me spar instead?”

Cloud was shocked into silence. Sparing with Zack? Was that really a good idea? It was a nice thought, his past memories urging him to take the opportunity to spend time with his old friend, but they were at war with his current objective. He didn’t want to stand out too much and he had already made waves with his ‘natural affinity’ with Materia. “I don’t know, I’m sure the classes will teach me plenty and you must have missions and stuff.”

“Meh,” Zack waved a hand as if to bat away his objections. “It’ll be a change of pace. Plus, I’ve got my own mentor, so consider this me paying it forward. You’ll just have to mentor someone of your own one day.”

He winked with the last statement, and Cloud could only blink back, not knowing what to say. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Give me your PHS number and I’ll do the rest.” He held out his hand expectantly, until Cloud dropped his PHS into the waiting palm. 

A minute later, after a few clicks, he handed it back over. “There, all done. You hanging around? I can show you how some of these machines work, they’re a pain but can be good.”

Cloud was stunned. Zack really wanted to hang around with him? He’d thought it was a fluke that they had ever became friends in the first place, and he’d imagined he would have to put some work in to get to know the guy this time around, but here he was. An open book, practically handing his friendship over on a silver platter. 

Despite his inner monologue, he nodded. He did need a hand with them after all. “Thanks.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to so much to my reviews and kudos! I’m starting to catch up on my pre-written stuff since I’ve been busy over the festive period, so I better put my writing hat on again!

Stefan stood in the elevator, his foot tapping nervously. He had received a summons from the Department of Administrative Research, AKA the Turks. 

When he’d first seen seen the email come through on his PHS, he’d thought it was joke. Everyone would make comments about him being Turk material, but he’d never actually considered that he really was. 

At least, he hoped that’s what this was about. Everyone knew that the Turks were one who ‘dealt’ with things. What those things were was often a well guarded secret, but there was no smoke without fire. It would be just his luck that he was on his way to being ‘dealt with’, not that he’d done anything to deserve that from what he’d desperate tried to recall. 

The elevator pinged for a final time on floor 54, before the doors swung open with a quiet swish. He stepped out and was greeted by a man in a dark suit standing off to the side. 

Straight away, Stefan could tell he was Wutanian in origin, the slant of his eyes and the olive tone of his skin in stark contrast to most people who lived on this side of the world. 

His long black hair was sleek and pulled back into a low ponytail, and he had a tilak in the middle of his forehead. 

The man gave a small small smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Stefan Addison, I presume?”

His accent was Migarian, not a hint of his heritage to be heard. “Yes, that’s me.”

The man nodded slightly and held out a hand. “I’m Tseng, Deputy Head for the Department of Administrative Research.”

Stefan took the offered hand and shook it, inwardly cringing about his sweaty palms. Tseng’s countenance betrayed nothing. He made no comment, though Stefan was sure he could sense his nervousness, and instead invited him to follow. 

They made their way down a couple of corridors, before they reached what appeared to be a board room. Inside, his could see a man with shaggy brown hair and a distinct scar running from his cheek to his jaw line, disappearing into his short cut beard. 

He recognised the man instantly, though he’d never seen him in person before. Director Verdot of the Department of Admiration, also known as Veld. If he’d been nervous before, it was nothing compared to now.

He felt a bead of sweat forming on his lip as Tseng ushered him into the room and stepped in before the door closed behind then. He choose to remain standing there as Stefan was urged to sit down. 

He teen inconspicuously rubbed his clammy hands on fatigues, though he doubted either man missed the gesture. 

The Director’s eyes followed his every move. “Good afternoon, Private Addison. Thank you for joining us on such short notice.”

“It was no problem, Sir.”

He steepled his hands in front of him and rested his chin on them lightly, his brown eyes staring piercingly into Stefan’s. “Do you know why you’re here?”

He looked a fair age, maybe mid to late thirties, but Stefan could tell how dangerous he was. You didn’t get to be the Head of the Turks without a keen mind and a silver tongue, never mind the ability to survive in this sketchy profession by force if necessary. 

Stefan shook his head in answer, choosing to remain silent for now. 

“I see.” Veld sat back, resting on the arms of his chair and crossing his legs. “We’d like to formally invite you to join our department.”

It seemed he didn’t want to beat around the bush, but Stefan honestly didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know if this was a good thing after all - once a Turk, always a Turk, and everyone and their dog knew that they did ShinRa’s dirty work. His eyes darted to door, where Tseng stood. Guarding it, maybe?

He became acutely aware of the possibility that this wasn’t a choice at all. It wasn’t every day that they took on someone new, and maybe there was a reason you never heard of people turning the position down. 

“Thank you, it’s an honour but... I’m not sure I’m cut out for this line of work.” He stomach was flip-flopping as he spoke, but he had a feeling that honesty was the best policy here. He was impressed that he had kept his voice so even. 

“Is that so?” Veld spoke quietly, never once looking away from him. “I’m inclined to disagree. We know what to look for in our candidates, that’s why we don’t take on many new employees, and we haven’t been wrong yet. I am very sure that you’re what we’re looking for.”

Could this man read minds?! Stefan felt infinitely uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Director Verdot.” He used his full name for effect, hoping he would sound more sure of himself than he was in that moment. “It’s all quite a shock and very unexpected. I’d like to take a little time to think about it, if that’s okay.”

The older man regarded him for a moment. “Of course, however I do need an answer soon. Let’s meet again on Monday to discuss it further - the benefits of the job are rather... lucrative.”

The teen managed a smile, but it was strained to say the least. He stood, and the Director offered him a firm handshake. 

As he approached the door, Tseng took a step to the side and gave a small bow. The first Wutanian gesture he’d seen yet. 

Tseng watched him walk down the corridor a little ways, before he stepped out of the threshold, letting the door close once again.

“Take a seat, Tseng.”

He moved across the room silent as a ghost, and sank into the chair that Stefan had previously occupied, crossing his legs and resting his hands in his lap. “Do you think he’ll accept?”

Veld hummed, eyes roving over the papers he had in front of him. “I meant what I said, we’ve not been wrong yet. He’ll accept.”

Tseng nodded in acknowledgment. Veld’s instincts were second to none - if he thought there was nothing to be concerned with, then he wouldn’t be concerned. Instead, he broached another matter. “He may be able to provide some intel on a person of interest.”

“Oh? And who is that?”

“SOLDIER Third Class Cloud Strife.” From within his suit, he withdrew a folded Manila envelope. He pulled out some documents, laying them on the table and pushing them towards his superior for perusal. “He shows exceptional talent. While not the the strongest amongst his peers, he seems to be shoulders above the rest in terms of knowledge and technique. We considered the option of recruiting him but... we were knocked back.”

“I see.” He scanned the papers quickly. “And you would like to keep an eye on him.”

Tseng said with a nod. “I’m... curious about his unavailability. They were not very fourth-coming. In fact, I think word ‘stonewalled’ is more accurate.”

Veld’s sharp gaze met his, and Tseng knew he understood what he meant. No one stonewalled the Turks, because it was them who were paid to DO the stonewalling. Information that the Turks were not privy to was rare, if not non-existent. 

His eyes returned to the papers. “It’s possible that they just want to keep him for themselves. He makes an excellent candidate for SOLDIER after all.”

“It wasn’t SOLDIER who said no.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s taken so long to get this chapter up - I’ve been sitting on it for a while and kept making little tweaks, but I guess it’s as good as it’s gonna get.
> 
> To be honest, I’ve been really struggling with my mental health since December and ended up taking all of February off work sick. A lot of things I enjoyed doing dropped by the wayside and this was one of them. Then to top it off, corona started just after I went back.
> 
> With the release of part one of the FFVII Remake (which yes I have been playing in my limited spare time) and quite a few comments lately encouraging me to write, I finally finished this chapter, so thank you.
> 
> And if you made it this far, thanks for reading this too. Comments give me motivation so feel free to leave one - tell me how you’re finding the remake!

“Only you would end up with a Second Class as a mentor within a month.” Stefan quirked an eyebrow after Darrell took great pleasure in filling them in about recent developments over lunch that weekend. Cloud hadn’t been particularly keen on shouting about it, but his friends were bound to find out either way. Better to tell them than for them to be hurt when they found out through the grapevine. 

Cloud shrugged. “It’s not like I asked for it, he came to me.”

“Exactly.” Marcus chimed in with a mouth full of food. “You’re so jammy it’s painful.”

Was he? To be fair, how many other SOLDIER recruits could say they were being mentored before they even made it to third class. He made a face, causing his friends to chuckle at his discomfort. They knew he hated to stand out, and yet that was always where he’d found himself. They thought he was just shy, after all, and he hadn’t bothered to correct them.

“You never know,” Darrell mused. “You might get to meet Angeal - he’s Zack’s mentor right?” Cloud nodded. “Maybe even Sephiroth.”

Cloud froze, fork halfway to his mouth and his fingers tightening around the metal painfully, the casual mention jarring him. It was still hard to get used to how flippantly others talked about the his oldest and most deadly enemy, not knowing how twisted and unbalanced he would become. 

“You okay Cloud?” The three of them looked at him with concern, as he sat still like a statue. It took him a couple of seconds to regain his composure, but he shoved his fork in his mouth and chewed, nodding. 

Marcus laughed. “You do that all the time.”

“Do what?” Cloud asked, getting another fork full of food, trying to act oblivious despite being fully aware of what he was referring to.

“Like, I dunno, glitch out. You’re a strange kid.”

Cloud scoffed, throwing him a casual smirk. “Whatever.”

Silence took over as they continued to eat. Stefan’s eyes flitted around the group, as he drummed his fingers on the table nervously. All day he had been playing with when to tell his friends, and now seemed as a good a time as any. Deciding to bite the bullet, he spoke up. “I have some news of my own.”

“Oh yeah,” Darrell grinned, “Did you lose your virginity?”

Marcus let out an obnoxiously loud belly laugh, and even Cloud couldn’t help the chuckle that passed his lips. Stefan smirked, eyes narrowing. “Actually, I’ve been invited to join the Turks.”

That shut everyone down in a hurry. Darrell’s eyes widened, and Marcus stared at him with his mouth agape. For the second time in a matter of minutes, Clouds thoughts came to a stuttering halt. 

Stefan? A Turk? Sure they’d all made passing comments about him suiting the Department, but it hadn’t really crossed his mind that it would actually happen. This complicated things - being friends with a member of the Turks had its pros and cons, but Cloud really had no way of predicting what direction it would go.

And there was what being in the Turks could do to a person. They arguably, in Clouds mind, had one of the most dangerous jobs in ShinRa. Only a certain kind of person could survive and no-one ever left the Turks alive. He wouldn’t be normal if he didn’t want his friend to be in that position. 

As these thoughts flashed quickly through Clouds mind, Stefan observed his friends’ reactions. He’d known they could be mixed, but Clouds eyes seemed to burn as he stared at him, the rest of his face completely emotionless. He didn’t know what he was thinking, and it unnerved him to see that look aimed at him. It was too intense. 

“What are you going to do?” Marcus asked, his voice a whisper.

Stefan shrugged, sitting back casually in his chair and breaking eye contact. “I don’t know. It’s a big decision, and they want to know by Monday.”

Although he was exuding an air of indifference, Cloud could see the tight lines of his lips that gave away his tension. A familiar sight from looking in the mirror over the years. 

When Cloud continued to state, he turned back to the blonde. “What’s on your mind?”

Cloud’s intense air didn’t waver. “Do you know what the Turks do?”

Stefan give him an odd look. They’d all talked about it before, what they thought the Turks did on the daily and such. But now that he thought about it, Cloud had never really had anything to add to the topic. He’d scoffed at their particularly odd ideas and laughed at their jokes about wiping the presidents ass, but he’s stayed away from giving any of his own. 

Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, he ran a hand through his hair, wincing in pain as his fingers passed over some stray knots. “About as much as anybody else.”

Cloud nodded, almost imperceptibly. “They... do whatever the company needs. Just... be careful... if you decide to join.”

Stefan frowned as Cloud appeared to choose his words carefully. He was struck by the profound feeling of being kept in the dark. “Is there something you know that you aren’t telling us?”

Cloud shook his head. He felt bad, outright lying to his friends, but he couldn’t explain the horrible deeds he knew for a fact were the work of the Turks - especially since most of them hadn’t even happened yet. “I just take them seriously. Very seriously.”

The air was thick with tension, mainly between the blondes, while Marcus and Darrell watched the exchange uncomfortably. 

Stefan, to his credit, understood the undertone. What he didn’t know was, was it a threat, or a warning?

It was all becoming a bit much. Marcus, desperate to clear the air, sought anything he could find to lighten the mood. 

A piece of bread bounced off Clouds temple, and just like that the tension broke. The blonde looked at him with a look of indignation. “Did you really just throw food at me?”

****

It had taken a couple of weeks, but Zack had been true to his word. Cloud no longer had to attend the swordplay seminars for recruits, as long as he sparred with Zack or another SOLDIER Second on the regular. 

He had been made aware by a particularly bouncy Zack trotting up to him in the halls to give him the news. Gone was the cool, calm and collected Zack he’d met in class and the gym. This was the whirlwind teenager that Cloud knew him to be, babbling about how excited he was to mentor somebody. So much so that he’d arranged it for the next day. “We can start tomorrow Spike!”

For the second time in his life, he was struck by how freely Zack displayed his emotions, despite having only met at that point on three occasions. It was easy to see why the teen made so many friends. He treat you like you already were, until you have him reason not to. Cloud had noted that with a pang of longing, wishing he could be as free and easy with this incarnation as he was with the man he knew in the Lifestream. 

When he met the black haired teen in the training room, just a small metal box room - none of the high tech VR that SOLDIERs seemed to favour - it was to him incessantly doing squats, staring off into space with a grin on his face. 

Cloud wasn’t noticed when he first entered, so he leant against the wall with a smirk on his face as his companion didn’t seem ready to slow down. When a couple of minutes passed and he still wasn’t noticed, he started to feel a little creepy. Blushing discreetly, he pushed himself from the wall and cleared his throat loudly. 

Zack, who had been halfway down to a squat, leapt up with a yelp. “Woah there chocobo! Don’t scare me like that!”

Cloud chucked crossing his arms. “I hardly snuck in.”

Zack pouted, grumbling something the blonde didn’t quite catch, other than the word “ninja”. That only lasted a second though, before he was grinning again. He threw his arms out with a flourish towards the room. “Welcome to Zack Fair’s super special mentoring service.”

Cloud cocked an eyebrow, but it didn’t phase him as he continued. 

“It’s super important that we warm up. And do you what the best way to warm up is?”

“Squats.”

Zack looked at the blonde in bewilderment when he parroted him a split-second after. Cloud blushed, realising he’d missed the fact that Zack was clearly asking a rhetorical question, and that his answer in itself was oddly specific. “You psychic or something?”

He shrugged, internally chiding himself for trying to be funny. He shouldn’t know Zack like he did. “Lucky guess.”

Zack shrugged in return and motioned for him to join him in the centre. “It’s all about getting into a rhythm. Let’s get to 50, and then we’ll do something else.”

Cloud started strong, but inevitably lagged behind. When they were through with the warm up, Cloud mopped his brow with the towel he’s brought, observing Zack, who was slotting a couple of extra squats for good measure. “I thought SOLDIERs didn’t need to warm up.”

“We don’t,” he grinned, heading to the far wall to pick some training swords from the rack. “But I thought it would be weird to just stand and watch. Plus it doesn’t hurt.”

Cloud huffed out a chuckle, and Zack’s look turned mischievous. He tossed a sword, sending it spinning through the air, waiting for the yelp and clatter as Cloud dove out of the way of the airbourne projectile. 

When Cloud didn’t move, he suddenly thought he had made a grave error. It was as if in slow motion he watched the blade spinning towards his charge, and he went to yell out for him to get out of the way. Materia couldn’t heal a severed arm, and they hadn’t even started training yet!

What actually happened though, caught him completely by surprise. Cloud’s bright blue eyes had tracked the sword as it arched through the air, and he reached out at just the right moment. He caught the handle, grunting as the momentum made him swing his arm and manoeuvre his body around, lest he skewer himself. He almost lost his grip on the hilt, but managed to salvage the move by grabbing it with his other hand. It was only belatedly, when he saw Zack’s jaw scraping the floor, that he realised how stupid he’d really just been. 

1\. A cadet really shouldn’t be able to catch a flying sword out of midair.   
2\. A normal person would be shocked and surprised when someone tossed a sword at them.   
3\. He was not his usual (old?) self, and that could have ended extremely badly.

To his credit, Zack recovered from his awe to quickly dither around him. “What the hell were you thinking Cloud?! You were meant to move out of the way!!”

Cloud quickly backed away as Zack got in his personal space. He didn’t know what injuries he expected to find, but he wouldn’t let it go. It appeared the whole ordeal effected Zack more than him. 

When his mentor had finally calmed down from his shock, he positioned them opposite each other, holding their swords at the ready. 

“You good to go? I’m not gonna go easy on ya just because you’re a newbie.” Zack grinned as he spun his sword in the air before dropping back into his fighting stance. Cloud recognised the fanfare he’d used so many times. 

Memories swam unbidden before his eyes, overlaying the reality in front of him, but he brutally pushed them down. A side effect from a lifetime ago, that he was becoming proficient at squashing. 

Mentally shaking himself, Cloud turned his thoughts to the situation at hand. It felt good to have a steel sword back in his hand, even if it was crappy SOLDIER issue. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Without ceremony, Zack lunged at Cloud with his own sword, slashing downwards heavily. Cloud swung his sword up, to counter, hitting it at an angle so it slid down his own and off to the side. He saw the surprise in Zacks eyes as he swung out with his leg and kicked him as hard as he could in the ribs. Zack, with his enhanced reflexes, was already pulling back so the kick glanced off him, not that Cloud had expected anything less. 

Zack laughed, from his position two feet away. “That was some hella sword work there, Spike. Where’d you pick that up?”

The blonde shrugged nonchalantly, “I watch people.”

“You watch people.... right.” Zack took a hand off his sword to scratch his neck and Cloud saw his chance. He pushed off the floor with as much power as he could and swung sharply to the right. Zack was already moving though and leapt back again, avoiding the swing completely. Not missing a beat, the blonde leapt off again, spinning full circle in the air so that his sword came around again. The clash of metal as Zack brought his own sword up to protect his side was deafening. 

“I’m the one who’s supposed to be teach you, not the other way around.” His voice was light, but from this close Cloud could see a tightness around his eyes. He couldn’t tell if it was the thrill of the fight, or suspicion. “Seriously, where’d you learn to fight like that?”

“A master lives in Nibelhiem. He taught me.” At least one thing he’d said was true. Master Zangan did in fact live in Nibelhiem and he was a master fighter. The difference, was that was a martial artist and taught Tifa. Had. Would? 

“Guess I’ll need to step it up a notch then!”

Cloud quickly sidestepped as Zack threw a punch his way, before having to defend with his sword. 

If Zack truely did fight all out, then Cloud wouldn’t stand a chance. It didn’t put him out, it was just a fact. After all, he was a Second Class SOLDIER with enhancements out the wazoo, whereas Cloud was a Third, with nothing but his own body’s natural capability. 

He did well he thought, all things considered. In the end though, he was the one that came out bruised and littered in shallow cuts, while Zack looked like he’d been for a casual stroll. 

“You know, you’ve got some major potential there. Your technique is a little wobbly at times, but it’s there, and your reflexes are good. You’ll be a force to be reckoned with once you get your enhancements.”

Cloud internally cringed. His reach and strength were not what he was used to, and his muscle memory was undeveloped, but he’d become so engrossed at times that he found himself coming up short, barely glancing off the others sword, and tripping over himself more than once. He didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse. 

“I’m inclined to agree.” 

Zack perked up at the appearance of another as they stepped into the corridor. “Angeal! What are you doing here?”

Angeal Hewley. This was the first time Cloud had seen him since that brief scene at the Costa del Sol docks - now that they were up close, he took the opportunity to discreetly look him over for a second. He had a strong squared jaw decorated with dark stubble and muscles to rival Barrett’s broad physique. He was an intimidating picture indeed, but his eyes were kind. That being said, he looked a little worn out - like he hadn’t been sleeping very well - but for the most part, he didn’t look physically strained. Cloud supposed it was to be expected that he would be a little stressed though, what with his best friend defecting and all. 

Remembering his training, Cloud straightened his back and nodded at the man as he approached.

“At ease SOLDIER.” He smiled. “Zack has been babbling about how talented he thinks you are, so I thought I should check it out for myself.”

“Angeal!” The teen whined, “You’re making me sound so uncool!”

Angeal hummed in acknowledgment, but gave Cloud a once over. “You seemed like you’ve handled a sword before.”

Cloud shrugged, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. Yet another occasion where he hadn’t checked himself and bought unwanted attention. These two were smart (yes, even Zack) and he was playing a dangerous game right now. “I had someone who trained me a little back home.”

“Is that so? Well they certainly did a good job of it.”

“See ‘Geal, I told you so.” He’d crossed his arms, and was grinning smugly.

The man laughed. “Yes, you did. It was very nice to meet you Cloud. If you ever need help with anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” 

He held out a hand, and Cloud took it, shaking it firmly. “Thank you, sir.”

“Please, call me Angeal. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to put Zack through some paces of his own. He’s been begging me all week for a training session.”

“I didn’t beg!”

Cloud smirked. “Of course.” He paused, before adding, “Do you mind if I stay and watch for a while?”

“Go right ahead. Come on Fair.”

“I’ll see you around Spikey!”

As the pair headed back into the training room, Cloud headed up the stairs the way Angeal had came, a small smile tugging at his mouth. Zack’s use of his old nickname had left a pressure in his chest as he realised, regardless of the circumstances or situation, that Zack really did never change. 

This was a great opportunity to see Angeal in action and get to know his technique, and he had some time to kill. With a warm heart, he settled in to watch the pair spar. 

****

“Are you listening, Angeal?”

He looked up from his container, his teriyaki beef practically untouched. 

Sephiroth sat behind his desk, a takeout box in one hand and chopsticks in the other, as he drilled him with those brilliant eyes of his. 

Angeal shifted uncomfortably in his armchair. There was no use lying. “No, I wasn’t.”

Sephiroth hummed, taking another bite of his sweet and sour chicken and chewing without taking his eyes off the other. He swallowed. “Thinking about Genesis again?”

Angeals eye narrowed at the undertone his voice carried - impatience. “Don’t try to act like you don’t.”

Sephiroth shrugged. It was a barely-there gesture, a slight raise to his shoulders and a tip to his head, his gaze trailing to the window. “I try not to, to be honest.”

“Is that so?” Angeal placed his container on the desk and ran a hand through his hair, his fingers working through some knots painfully. “And why is that?”

Sephiroth also put his food down, and propped his elbows on the desk, hands steepled under his chin. “There is no sense in trying to understand why Genesis did what he did. I guarantee that we won’t, unless he deigns to tell us himself.” What he was saying was not untrue, but maybe a little harsh. “He left us, Angeal, you need to face that.”

Angeal crossed his arms. “That is why I want to find him. For all his flaws, he always has a reason for what he does.” Sephiroth hummed again, not meeting his eye. “You don’t want to see him?”

“Not in these circumstances.”

Angeal stared at him, comprehension dawning on him. “You think you’ll be ordered to kill him.”

A minuscule nod was all he needed to confirm. 

It shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did. Genesis had deserted ShinRa and taken a good portion of it’s SOLDIERs with him. Of course the company would make him pay with blood, and there were only a select few who could probably collect that debt. 

“Would you do it?” Angeal was shocked at how tense he sounded. Then again, forgetting about the company, they were talking about one of his friends ending the life of the other.

Sephiroth met his eye unflinchingly, and the two stared for a while. The taller of the two gave nothing away. He could be staring in indignation that Angeal would even think to ask that, or he could be trying to convey what he couldn’t in words. That he would do what was ordered of him. Either way, Angeal realised he wasn’t going to get an answer. 

Sephiroth was a company man, sticking to the rules and following orders without question. But to be pitted against a friend... Angeal had no idea what he would do. 

In an effort to cease fire, he picked up his container and took a bite. Sephiroth took his cue to change the direction of the conversation. 

“How are the new men doing?”

Angeal paused in his chewing, thinking of the latest batch of SOLDIER recruits. “They’re doing okay, progressing as expected.” He paused to chuckle. “Zack found a puppy of his own.”

“Is that so?” Sephiroth was no more interested in this than he was in the newest episode of ‘ShinRa’s Next Top Model’, but he appreciated the effort. 

“I’ve met him. He’s definitely something - advanced Materia classes, already capable with a sword. He’s going to do well here.”

“Poor him.”

Angeal laughed as Sephiroths dry sense of humour made a rare appearance. 

A small smile graced Sephiroths face, glad that the tension that had been forming was broken. He’d already lost one friend to unknown motives. It would be difficult to lose his last because of it. 

He picked up his own food, and began to eat again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for your kind comments, I’m doing a lot better, but working a lot too because of everything that’s going on. I had this chapter practically written already but it might be a little while for the next update! 
> 
> I’m really glad that people are enjoying it, and some of your comments have actually inspired me to tweak parts of my story plan!

‘Sorry Spike, got a mission through to go out to Wutai with Angeal. Who knows, maybe they’ll make me first class! I’ve sent my friend to cover for me tomorrow, and we’ll go for lunch when I’m back. My treat!’

That was the text Cloud had received the day before, and ever since he’d been anxious. 

While he’d went with the pithy reply of ‘Try not to die before I get my free meal,’ he was acutely aware of what Zacks deployment to the Western Continent, with Angeal specifically, would mean. 

Angeal was going to desert, Zack was going to be devastated, and Sephiroth was going to be one step closed to being a homicidal maniac. 

And he’d done nothing to prevent it. Shit. 

He wondered if he should have warned Zack somehow, alluded to the idea of Angeal following Genesis into the unknown. Maybe Zack would have been able to do a better job than him, said or done something to keep Angeal on side. Hindsight was 20/20.

He felt like he was moving around with his eyes closed, bumping into walls and tripping his way into the next day, and the next, and the next. 

What exactly had he done? He’d been in the past for months, and he’d made absolutely no difference what so ever. 

Genesis had still went AWOL. Angeal was no doubt going to do the same. 

Could he really stop Nibelheim from burning?

He’d half wanted to cancel this session in favour of another episode of wallowing in his own failure, but that wouldn’t have done anyone any good. He’d found himself wondering at what his friends would have said if they were around. Barrett and Cid would probably tell him to stop being a little bitch, so that wasn’t helpful, but he felt like Nanaki and Tifa would tell him to do his best and that’s all anyone could ask. He resolved to carry on as normal, at least this way he was still working towards his goal. 

Getting his enhancements was his number one priority. 

“Hey, you must be Cloud?”

He looked up from his position, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. A man in a SOLDIER Second uniform was walking towards him, his helmet firmly in place. 

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“I’m Kunsel.” He held out a hand, and Cloud eyed it before shaking it once. “Zack asked me to cover for him. I’m not complaining though. He talks about you A LOT, so I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve got myself.”

The blonde grunted in response, a little embarrassed by that little fact, and followed the guy into the training room. 

This guy wasn’t a talker like Zack - he was quite content to set Cloud away with an exercise and wait patiently until he did it. The blonde didn’t mind so much, as he wasn’t sure he wanted to, or even could, hold a conversation right now.

He was continuously dwelling on Zack’s deployment, twisting himself in knots about what would happen. 

He had only been half paying attention to the actions he partner was taking, which had already resulted in a couple of round of sparring ending with a blade to his neck or heart. Not too long into the session, Kunsel lowered his sword, signalling for a time out. Cloud frowned, but said nothing as he approached. He stopped a metre away. 

“You’re worried about Zack.”

Cloud was surprised at the sudden statement, but kept a straight face. “What are you talking about?”

Kunsel gestured at him. “You’re distracted. I’m not seeing any of the prowess that Zack keeps yammering on about.” He paused, looking off to the side casually. “You know, you’ll have to get used to your friends going out on dangerous missions. And besides, Angeal is with him, so there’s nothing to worry about. 

He was a little shocked. Was he really being that transparent? It was ironic that something Kunsel said to try and ease his worry actually did the complete opposite. ‘Angeal being with him is exactly what is worrying me.’

Though things seemed to be following the same pattern, he couldn’t be sure what little thing could have changed that may alter the flow of this, just by him being here. Angeal or Genesis could kill Zack for all he could guess. What did they call it, the butterfly effect?

He spoke for Kunsels benefit. “That’s not what it is.”

“Oh? What is it then?”

Cloud glared at him. Despite not actually being able to see his eyes under the helmet, he knew that he was being measured up and down. When neither of them spoke, or moved, for a matter of minutes, Cloud realised that he had met his match in the arena of stubborn silences. This man was not going to do or say a thing until he did. 

A spark of irritation flared up. He’d met him no more that half an hour ago, and here he was demanding personal information from him. “Nothing that concerns you.” He snapped. 

Kunsel grinned, “You sure are spunky, but I’ll give you that. Sorry for prying.” 

Cloud huffed and continued to glare. 

Kunsel chuckled and shrugged, moving back to his starting place. “Whatever, I was only trying to help. A fresh perspective often does wonders. But for now, let’s focus on this rather than pining for good old Zack Fair, hmm?”

Cloud growled at the jab, lifting his sword in front of him, ready to start again. 

Kunsel has said something interesting though. A fresh perspective.

Brown hair swung against the back of a pink jacket, a pink ribbon holding it in a braid. A fleeting image, but a lasting impression. 

He had been putting off reaching out to Aerith for a couple reason. First and foremost, her involvement in what was to come had resulted in her death, and he didn’t think he could survive that a second time. By keeping her out of it, he may just save her life if nothing else. The second was merely cowardice really. No one else had remembered him, or what had happened. He didn’t want to go through that with her. 

But if there was even remotely a chance that she could know what was going on, he had to take the help, even if he kept her at arms length. There was nothing else for it. 

It was time for him to pay a visit to the slums. 

****

Cloud slowed as he turned the corner and the church came into view. It was exactly as he remembered it, defying the horrors that happened in Midgar to continue to stand even in his own time. 

He came to a stop, wanting to take a moment, just to observe. He couldn’t do so for too long though, as Turks could be hiding anywhere. 

He’d went to great pains to make it look as though he was just happening upon the church as part of an adventure into the slums. It had taken him an hour of dilly dallying (as Tifa would have called it) through Sector 6, before he dared to head to his destination. 

His plain clothes helped him to blend in, just a pair of blue jeans with a grey t-shirt and a nondescript black jacket. Coming down in a SOLDIER uniform would have drawn more attention than he could be bothered with. He’d stuck with his boots and gloves though. They came in handy for transversing the debris that was part and parcel of being under the plate. 

He’d had to be careful which way he’d came too, so as to avoid any stray monsters. 

He started to pick his way through the literal junkyard that filled the immediate area, slowly making his way closer. He threw casual looks around the area, but his focus was on spotting any Turks in the area. He hadn’t picked up on anyone, but that didn’t really say much. His senses weren’t what they used to be after all. 

As he neared the doors, his heart hammered in his chest. There were so many memories in this place. Even after her death, her essence had lingered, and once upon a time, the church had been the only place he had been able to find peace. 

But this wasn’t the church he frequented to tend to the flowers of his long-lost friend. He was about to see her for the first time, alive, in  years .

He stopped on the steps, taking in a deep, shaky breathe, before he forced himself forward. He pushed on one of the doors and it opened with a slight creak. 

Stepping in, his eyes found the flower garden immediately, but they barely lingered as a girl in a white dress with brown hair that fell in waves stood beside it, staring right at him. 

Her green eyes were warm, even from this distance, as she stood clutching her hands together in front of her. The deep breathe he’d been holding left him with a sharp whoosh, as she smiled. 

“There you are, I’ve been waiting.”


	11. Chapter 11

“You... remember me?” He whispered breathlessly, eyes wide. 

She looked confused and a little uncertain. “No... should I?”

Cloud’s heart skipped a beat, a strangled noise escaping his mouth. 

But she’d...

“You said you’d been waiting.” He choked out, confused and disoriented. The sudden elation of being recognised, and subsequent devastation that followed, mixed with the reality that she was standing  right there , had him reeling. 

She took a step forward, a hand raised as if to reach out to him even across the distance that separated them. “I have but... maybe you should sit down. You don’t look well.”

He nodded jerkily, lurching forward up the rows of pews, his vision blurred by the whirlwind of emotions flying at lightening speed through his mind. She’d expected him to sit on one, but was only a little surprised when he passed her and collapsed to his knees in front of the flower bed, taking a deep breathe. 

The delicate scent from the white and yellow blooms served to calm him a little, their familiarity more comforting than anything he had felt since travelling back in time. He took a couple more deep breathes to centre himself. He had expected this, but it didn’t hurt any less to know that his last hope of an ally who knew his pain had been dashed. He dug one hand into the soil, feeling the softness under gloved fingers. 

Aerith moved next to him, crouching down to rest on the balls of her feet, her arms wrapped around her knees. It seemed that she was completely unfazed by a random teenage boy stumbling into her church and taking a funny turn. 

He turned to stare at her, fighting the gnawing urge to pull her into a tight embrace, as he really took her in. She was younger than his memory - she couldn’t be any older than 16. Some quick maths told him he was close, she would be 15 there or thereabouts. She hadn’t really changed though, in his memories. Just grown older as one does. 

“Should I know you?” She asked quietly, her eyes meeting his in an unwavering gaze. Some would find it uncomfortable, but he’s always found it impressive.

“I... guess not.” His heart twisted painfully as he said the words. 

She nodded. “But you know me.” It was a statement, not a question. 

It was his turn to nod. Quietly, he asked, “Does that scare you?”

She hummed thoughtfully, throwing a glance at her flowers. She reached out a hand and trailed it softly across the petals. “No. The Planet told me you would come, and that I shouldn’t be afraid.”

As if jerked back to reality, his head snapped around wildly, checking the rafters and shadowy corners for clandestine black suits that could overhear. “The Turks-“

She gave him an odd look, surprised at his knowledge. “They’re not here.”

“Oh...”

She smiled and stood again, moving over to her tools to continue tilling the soil. He reached out with his own hand to a ghost over the petals. 

“You can help, if you’d like.”

She was holding out a small trowel, the blade rusted and the wood knocked, but sturdy none the less. Hesitantly, he took it and began to work it into the soil, much like he had done in the past, when Aerith was no longer there to do it herself. 

“You’ve done this before?” He spared her a glance as she watched him work. 

He shrugged, trying to ignore the irony in the question. “Once or twice.”

She hummed again. “It makes a nice change. Usually I only have the kids to help now and again, but they don’t exactly know what they’re doing.” She laughed, and it tinkled in the vast space of the church. “They tend to just get soil everywhere.”

Despite everything, he couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his lips. “Surely you could teach them.”

“Kids are kids,” she sighed, but it was a sound of happiness. “And kids make a mess. I’ve learned to live with it.”

After that, silence reigned between them, broken only by the sounds of scraping soil and the city in the background. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was a little odd. Aerith could coax words out of even the most stubborn mutes. 

It struck him, that she was most likely waiting for him to say something. He was the one that had come to her after all. In her infinite wisdom, Aerith was giving him a chance to gather this thoughts. 

He sighed, putting the trowel down in favour of removing a glove to drag a hand through his blonde spikes. “What exactly did the Planet tell you?”

She paused, looking off into the distance as she thought about it. “It doesn’t tell me things exactly. It’s more like... impressions. I knew there was someone important in the city, and that I had nothing to fear from them. And when you got close, the Planet gave me a nudge, so I could only assume it was you. Thankfully, I was right.” She smiled at him, genuine happiness in her eyes. 

That happiness broke Cloud’s heart, knowing that a long time ago, he’d let that happiness die. 

From what Aerith explained, her powers to communicate with the Planet were stunted. That was not wholly unexpected, in the suffocating city of Midgar - in fact, he was surprised she even had this much clarity. It wasn’t until they had started their journey across the continents that Aerith had gained any real understanding about the abilities bestowed upon her by her heritage. 

“Earth to Mr? Are you there?”

He jerked, realising he had shrunk back into his own mind. 

“Cloud.”

“Mr Cloud?”

“Cloud Strife.”

She smiled. “I’m Aerith Gainsborough, if you didn’t know already.”

He did, but didn’t see the point in confirming. 

He wished he could stay like this forever. The tranquility offered in this once holy place was like an elixir for the soul, though he wasn’t sure whether it was just reminiscent of one of his dreams, where Aerith and Zack would visit and they’d sit amongst the flowers. 

He sent a mental thank you to Kunsel, for inadvertently encouraging him to come. 

Aerith was immune to his anti-social nature, luring into easy small talk and conversation. When she giggled and smiled, it renewed his conviction to do what he could, no matter how small, to change the course of the future. He didn’t think he could survive this girl dying a second time. 

When she’d gently probed him about why he was special to the Planet, he’d considered telling her everything but, for all it felt like old times, it was abundantly clear that this version of Aerith was not quite the one he remembered. She’d seen her own horrors, but was yet to be tempered by steel. It was too much to ask this young, innocent girl to dive into what could essentially be a suicide mission, and he would avoid doing so for as long as he possibly could. In the end, he’d been honest. He told her that he did, but that he wasn’t ready to share it yet. 

He only realised how long he’d been there when Aerith stood, softly dusting off her dress. “I should get going, or my Mom will be worried.”

“Oh, sorry.” Cloud stood, handing her the tools he’d accumulated. “I shouldn’t have kept you. Let me walk you home.”

She giggled again, sending a wash of warmth throughout his core. “That’s very gentlemanly of you, but I don’t want you to go out of your way.”

He blushed at her comment, crossing his arms and looking away. “It’s no problem.”

She giggled again, but didn’t comment on his reaction.

As the left the church, Cloud’s instincts cottoned on to the presence of another. He casually cast his eyes around the area, but there was no one in sight. Probably a Turk coming to check in on Aerith. 

He’d have preferred they not turn up, but in the end he was just a SOLDIER candidate walking a pretty girl he met in the slums home. 

The stroll to Aerith’s house was remarkably pleasant, considering they were in the dark slums under the plate. 

As they headed through the Sector 5 shanty town, Aerith was greeting by so many people that Cloud found it hard to keep straight. Store owners, children, some elderly folk. So many people seemed to know who she was. He didn’t remember her being so well liked, but it also wasn’t surprising. 

She slowed as they reached what appeared to be an an orphanage, or possibly a school. Some kids were playing outside with wooden sword and waved happily at the pair. 

“I live down that lane.” She spoke, gesturing at a familiar dirt path that ran alongside the building. “Thank you for walking me home.”

He nodded with a small smile. “You’re welcome.”

She started to walk away, but stopped to look over her shoulder. “Feel free to come and visit again.”

“I will.”

With one last smile, she began to jog down the lane, her dress flapping around her knees.

He watched her for a moment, before he too left, heading for the nearest train station.

He may not have sought out her wisdom on his current predicament, but he at least felt a little lighter. 

In the shadows of a nearby alley a shape moved, stepping back out of viewing range. 

****

A few days later, Zack returned from Wutai. 

There were no official comms, but Cloud had heard whispers here and there. 

Angeal Hewley was MIA, amid the commotion Zacks infiltration of the Pagoda had caused. Had he been captured? Killed? That was the second First Class gone in a matter of months. What did that mean for the rest of SOLDIER? How did this happen?

Of course, Cloud knew the truth. Angeal was gone through his own choices, not because he was locked in some cellar in Wutai. 

He knew that Zack would have to report into Lazard, and that he would be confused and worried. However, when he hadn’t heard from him that night, he hummed and harred to himself about sending him message, and had finally settled on asking if he was back the next morning. 

He was sent on a mission to clear out a monster nest in the Sector 2 slums with a Second Class and a couple of infantrymen, so he was out for most of the day, but when he finally had a chance to check his PHS, he saw that he had a reply from only an hour before. 

‘Yeah’

Cloud knew instantly that Zack was not okay. Even during hard times, he was usually the one to chatter and remain optimistic. His one word reply belied how affected he was by the whole thing. 

Resolutely, after a quick shower and change to get rid of the smell of monster guts, Cloud marched to the Second Class building and asked around for Zacks room number. It might have seemed a little weird, but he didn’t care. 

The corridor was quiet. He knocked sharply on Zacks door, rocking on the balls of his feet as he waited for him to answer. He heard a shuffle on the other side before it opened quietly. Zack stood, dressed in sweatpants and a vest, with dark circles under his eyes. His smile of greeting was strained. 

Cloud stood for a second, realising that he hadn’t thought about what he was actually going to say, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I heard about Angeal.”

Zack sighed and stepped aside, giving the blonde room to walk in without a word.

Cloud did so, eyes roving Zack’s digs quickly. Organised chaos was the best way to describe it. There was a pile of what he assumed was laundry in the corner and magazines, comics and other random bits strewn around the room. The door the bedroom was ajar, and he got a glimpse of an unmade bed. 

Zack went straight over to the couch and sat down, his head lolling back on the cushions and his legs spread out in front of him, tucked under the coffee table. His arms sat limply by his sides. 

Cloud took a seat next to him, genuinely feeling for the other teen. He knew what it was like to feel abandoned. 

They sat in silence for what felt like the longest time, before Zack finally seemed to gather his thoughts. “I just don’t understand what’s going on.”

Cloud wished he could explain, he really did. He knew better than anyone what was happening, why Zack’s mentor had disappeared like a ghost in snow. “I imagine it’s complicated.”

Zack scoffed. “That’s something old people say when they don’t want to explain.”

How unknowingly perceptive. Cloud searched for a response, but he was left blank. Comforting people wasn’t in his wheelhouse, it was Tifa that always picked up that task. He would just be a strong silent presence, reassuring only in that he was there at all. 

But Zack was not a child, like Denzel or Marlene. He was by all intents and purposes older than him, at least in the physical sense. His presence probably didn’t mean shit right now. “What happened?”

Zack sighed heavily. “It all happened so fast, you know? One minute Angeal was saving me from getting my ass cut in half and preaching at me as per, and the next he’s disappeared during our exfil.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face tiredly. “Then I got attacked by a freaking Ifrit summon of all things. If Sephiroth hadn’t turned up, I’d be deep fried.” Cloud jerked violently but that went unnoticed. “My first time meeting the guy for Gaia’s sake.”

His arm flopped back onto the sofa with a soft thud. “And then we find these guys in Wutai soldier uniforms. But they all had Genesis’ face.”

He looked at Cloud with wide eyes. “Sephiroth said they were  copies . Copies, Spike.”

A cold knot formed in Cloud’s stomach. He didn’t remember that particular gem. 

“Then Sephiroth said Angeal had betrayed us! Just like Genesis! I told him ‘Geal wouldn’t do that man, but he’s pretty convinced.”

Cloud sneered, speaking without thinking. “What does he know.” 

“Right!?” Zack thumped a hand on the sofa. “I know he’s like top commodity but he can be wrong. I debriefed with Lazard, but he didn’t seem too confident in Angeal either.”

With that last tidbit, the teen sunk back into a gloomy silence, eyes glued to the ceiling. 

It really did seem like nothing had changed, Cloud noted with annoyance, though it was aimed at himself. “So what are you going to do now?”

Zack shrugged with frown. “What can I do? Lazard said they were looking into it.”

Cloud hummed thoughtfully. He was honestly surprised that Zack had been so candid with him, and he hated seeing him like this. It didn’t feel right. 

“You’re a good listener, Spike.”

That caught him by surprise. “Thanks... I guess?”

Zack stood and stretched, groaning when his back gave a satisfying pop. He grinned down at the blonde. “Let’s go get some food. I’m starved.”

A total 180 of Cloud ever saw one. How he could go from brooding and gloomy to happy and talkative in less than 10 seconds was a complete mystery. That didn’t stop him from eyed his outfit though. “I’m not going anywhere with you dressed like that.”

Zack looked down and laughed. “I could probably do with a shower too.” 

He headed towards the bathroom, and Cloud smirked. “Don’t forget, its your treat.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Zack waved a hand over his shoulder as he kicked the door closed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Cloud is still alone in his journey to save the Planet :’(
> 
> Thanks so much for everyone’s positive comments, it means so much <3


	12. Chapter 12

“It’s good to see you again Stefan.”

Here he was, sitting across from Veld in the same board room as before. This time, he was joined by not only Tseng, but a tall and burly black man who seemed to like to wear sunglasses, even indoors. 

He found it odd that the man was using his first name. Was he supposed to be so informal back? He thought it better to be safe than sorry. 

“Thank you for giving me time to think, Director Verdot.”

“Call me Veld, at least in private. All of the Turks do.”

Stefan nodded in acknowledgement, not missing the subtle comment. 

“So you’ve had time to think over our offer, I’m very interested to know your thoughts.” Veld’s hawk like eyes were fixed on him, and he felt very much like a mouse in that moment, ready to be swooped upon and eaten alive. 

It annoyed him immensely. Straightening his spine, he met the mans gaze. “I am grateful for the offer, and accept your proposal to join the Turks.”

He surprised himself. Up until that moment, he had still being flipping between whether or not this was something he wanted to do, but his irritation had him impulsively trying to show his metel. He could only hope his choice was the right one.

Veld sat back in his chair, a triumphant look on his face. “Excellent news. I believe you’ll make a great addition to our team.”

Stefan gulped, his eyes darting to Tseng, who had began shuffling through some papers on the desk. 

He produced a form, handing it over. “A non-disclosure agreement.”

He eyed the paper warily as Veld stood, nodding to the pair. “I’ll leave you to it. Welcome to the fold.”

Without further ceremony, he left the room - closely followed by the man in the sunglasses. 

Tseng didn’t even bother to say goodbye, as he continued to sort through the pile of papers in front of him. 

The teen cast his eyes over the document again, trying to take in the information while his mind was reeling.

‘This document hereby signifies the agreement that the participant will not disclose any undue information to an unauthorised party including, but not limited to:...’

‘Holy shit. What am I signing here?’

He chanced a glance at his companion and was surprised to see him watching quietly. He blushed and quickly glued his eyes to the document again. 

“Take your time. You need to fully understand our expectations, and there is a lot to cover.”

He nodded, returning to the task at hand. It was going to be a long day. 

****

The four teenagers sat in Darrell’s suite, taking some time out after a busy couple of days. Between the disappearance of Angeal and Stefan’s decision to join the exclusive ranks of the Turks, they had a lot catching up to do. Stefan and Darrell were playing a particularly vicious game of snap, while Marcus read a magazine and Cloud was read a book for advanced Materia theory. 

They’d already pestered Cloud about what he’d heard from Zack. He’d told them a little about it, such as how Angeal had disappeared, but he’d kept certain aspects to himself - the Genesis copies for one. Stefan has listened with extra interest, and it made Cloud wonder how much  he knew already. He was the proud owner of a new black suit after all. 

“So when are you gonna spill the Turk beans dude? 

Marcus and Darrell had also been badgering Stefan into telling them Turk secrets since he’d accepted the job, and we’re continuing to do so. Cloud hadn’t bothered through a mixture of not wanting to know, and not wanting to get the boy in hot water. 

“I already told you man,” Stefan laughed, “I signed an NDA.”

Marcus huffed, flipping a page of his magazine. “Can you at least tell us what your code name is? Or what weapon you’re going to use?”

“It’s funny you should say that.” He paused with his card game, looking thoughtful. “Because it came up today. Not all Turks use a code name, so apparently I have a choice. And they need to put me through weapons training so we can find my specialty.”

“You should totally go with a cool name.” Darrell mused. “I mean, ‘Stefan’... hardly sounds like a scary Turk name does it?”

The blonde smirked and threw his handful of cards at him, making the other flinch. “Who said I need to be scary? Maybe I’ll lull you into a false sense of security and then strike.”

Unknowingly, that sentence meant more to Cloud than its intended target. 

“How about Pansy? That’s accurate isn’t it?” Marcus piped up. 

“Or Virgin,” said Darrell. 

“Virgin could work.” Cloud chimed in with a smirk. 

Stefan threw his arms in the air, exasperated. “I don’t understand where this running joke about me being a virgin came from. You guys suck.”

Darrell stopped to gather the cards up that Stefan had thrown, setting up a new game. “There ain’t nothing wrong with it. You just bite too easily.”

“I kick and I punch too.” The blonde growled, face heating up. 

“With those noodle arms? Not very hard.”

“Now now ladies, hand bags away.” Marcus said in a bored drawl, lazily flipping a page of his magazine. 

“Don’t you start!” Stefan yelled, rounding on his old friend. 

Cloud closed his book with a snap, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “You’re all children.” 

Darrell’s jaw dropped. “You’re the youngest one here!!”

***

“That’s enough for today Spikey.”

Cloud stood with his sword up on guard, arms and legs trembling and sweat pouring down his face. His entire body in fact. 

Zack hadn’t went easy of him today, that’s for sure. They’d been at it for hours, so much so that he was barely staying on his feet. A gently breeze would have been able to knock him over. 

At Zacks words, he let his arms drop, the sword slipping from his grip and hitting the hard floor with a clatter. He stumbled to a bench by the wall and sat down, closing his eyes and resting his head against the wall. 

It had been a  long time since he’d been worn out and overworked. So long, in fact, that he couldn’t actually remember. 

A towel landed on his head with a soft  fwump . He fisted it in his hand and dragged it away, glaring at Zack, who stood over him with his hands on his hips and a big grin. “You’ll sleep well tonight.”

“I’ll sleep well all week.” Cloud grumbled, using the towel to mop himself down. 

Zack laughed and dropped my onto the bench next to him. “Awwww, don’t be mad Spike. You’ll be able to keep up soon enough!”

The blonde merely grunted, taking a long swig of water. 

“So when is your treatment again?”

The blonde grimaces at reminded of his impending doom. “Tuesday.”

“I guess the more time we put in now, the better you’ll be on Wednesday then!”

Cloud had been glad that, when that email had come through, he’d been alone. He’d spent a considerable amount of time dry heaving over a toilet, wracked by tremors as the unexpected message had sent him hurtling back to memories of Hojo’s lab in Nibelheim. The gray pallor of his skin had haunted him for the rest of the day. 

“Hey you should be more excited! It’s nothing to worry about.” Zack slung an arm over Cloud’s shoulders, jostling him encouragingly. 

The blonde forced a smile, “Yeah, right.”

***

On the Monday, he was a a mess of nerves. He was snappy and irritable, so much so that his friends had found it prudent to stay out of his way for the day. 

He didn’t see Zack because he was off on a mission somewhere, so his regular outlet wasn’t available expending his pent up energy and aggression. 

He’d briefly considered looking for Kunsel or Luxiere, another SOLDIER friend of Zack’s, but he’d quickly shot that idea down.

So that was how he ended up at the church again. 

Aerith has greeted him with a beaming smile and friendly “You’re back!”, before handing him a trowel and setting him to work. 

“You’re tense today.”

He nodded wordlessly, continuing to work the soil as Aerith tended to the flowers themselves, checking them for god knows what. 

Although this wasn’t the outlet he’d have preferred, gardening at least gave him something to do with his hands. And the ever present peace of the church took the edge off at least a little. 

“Tomorrow is a big day.”

“Is that so?” She asked, cocking her head to one side. 

“Yeah, I’m... getting my SOLDIER treatment.”

“Oh...” She looked a little unsure at that. 

It struck him then that she didn’t even know he worked for ShinRa. He’d never said. And he didn’t wear his uniform into the Slums. 

“Does it hurt?”

She couldn’t have known how difficult that question was to answer. He fought back painful memories and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

It was true. He didn’t know if the normal treatment process was painful or not. 

She hummed, gazing at him thoughtfully. “You’ll be okay. I have a good feeling.”

“Oh do you now?”

She nodded, smiling. “I do. You’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is short <3 <3


	13. Chapter 13

Cloud had to really fight to stop the tremors. He felt like a caged animal, alert and ready to leap at anyone or anything that posed a threat. 

This was the part he’d been dreading the most. 

His Mako treatment. 

Aerith and the church had provided comfort, but as soon as he was back in his room he was a mess. 

He hadn’t slept a wink the night before, instead pacing his small quarters as all sorts of worst case scenarios and what ifs running through his head. His anxiety was at its peak, and he felt like his was permanently on the verge of a panic attack. 

Not only would he be venturing into Hojo’s labs for the first time - which was a traumatising experience on its own - but he was walking willingly in to be a lab rat. 

With Clouds progression through his SOLDIER induction, he was getting enhanced earlier than Darrell, so he had no moral support nearby. The only thing that had helped him make it to the waiting room was pure grit. 

Even that was faltering though, under the smell of antiseptic and claustrophobia caused by the sterile whiteness of his surroundings. There was three other people there, all waiting for the same thing, only they seemed more excited than nervous. 

They chatted quietly between themselves, exchanging grins. 

He wanted to scream at them to run away, to not let ShinRa near them. But then he would have ended up on a psych ward and that would have been a whole lot worse.

His only hope was that it wasn’t Hojo himself that would oversee his assessment.

But of course he wasn’t that lucky. 

“Strife?” A young lady in a lab coat with frizzy brown hair and a stressed look on her face called from a doorway. 

He slowly and deliberately stood from his plastic chair placed amongst the other candidates, in absolute silence. 

“Professor Hojo will see you now.”

His heart stopped and there was a ringing in his ears. His whole body was shaking now and all he could think was ‘get out.’ Memories of scalpels and needles bombarded him and he almost stumbled. He couldn’t breathe. 

He was about to spin towards the exit and sprint into the hallway when a familiar voice cut through the fear and tension. “Cloud! Yes, I made it in time!” His head snapped around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. Zack had launched himself in the room. He started to bound over, but the grin on his face faded. He stopped beside him, hands on his hips and a frown drawing his eyebrows down. Whatever colour Cloud probably had in his face must have drained even further with his unexpected appearance, because the older teen dropped his arms and bent down a little, gingerly resting a hand on Clouds shoulder. “You okay? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

‘Maybe because I have.’

He could only stare at Zack for a moment, as finally his breathing came back hard and fast. With Zack there, touching him, he could tell now the differences in what he was actually seeing, and what his mind was playing back to him. 

“Strife, are you coming? Professor Hojo has too much work to do to sit around and wait for you all day.” The scientist snapped. 

“Hey, it’s nothing to worry about, okay?” Zack’s hand tightened on Clouds shoulder. It was a comforting gesture, and grounded the blonde more than his friend could possibly know. “You might feel a little sick for a couple of days, but after that you’ll be right as rain. Better than ever!”

Not trusting his voice, Cloud merely nodded and focused on his breathing. In and out, in and out. Before he could loose his nerve, he spun out of Zacks grip and walked purposefully into the medical room.

Seeing Zack had been a shock to say the least, when his thoughts were torn between the past and the present, but it also helped him to steel his resolve when it was dangerously close to tipping. He stepped into the room, keeping his back straight and to the wall, and forced his face into a blank mask. 

Right there in front of him he saw the source of all of his misfortune standing by a steel cart with an air of superiority and overconfidence. 

The wave of hate that washed over him in that second was almost strong enough to knock him over, but he grit his teeth and stepped up to the empty cot in front of him with determination, fighting the urge to reach out and strangle the scientist. 

Hojo sighed heavily when he did nothing more. “For gods sake, take off your shirt and sit down. I have more pressing matters to attend to than holding your hand through a simple procedure.”

Cloud glared at the man, but did as he was told. With shaking hands, Cloud pulled his knit vest over his head and the nurse, who’d been hovering in the corner, moved forward to place wires on his chest and head. He grit his teeth and fought a wave of nausea, reminding himself that they were to monitor his vitals, nothing more. 

The scientist reached for a pair of latex gloves, pulling them deftly on and letting go with a snap. “Lie down.”

Before he knew it, Hojo was bearing down on him with a sneer, a needle brandished in his hand with green tinged fluid swirling in the chamber. It was even bigger than he’d expected.

Without preamble, the scientist bent down and stuck the needle into his arm, just below the elbow, depressing the plunger slowly.

Cloud was unable to look away as the fluid entered his body. The area started to warm, but quickly turned into a burning sensation. It spread throughout his body, and he cried out, unable to stop himself as he felt like he had molten lava running through his veins.

His eyes darted to the scientists, who was staring down at him intently. This was too familiar, far too familiar. He wanted to lash out, swipe at that sunken face and those dark evil eyes, but his arms were like lead. He couldn’t do anything. 

He tried to open his mouth and speak, but all that he managed was a strangled snarl. 

“Really? How positively savage.” 

Hojo’s voice seemed to echo and his vision darkened at the edges. Before he could do or think anything else, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he lost consciousness. 

***

“What do you mean he’s not done yet?” Zack asked, with his arms crossed as he tapped his foot impatiently. He’d been waiting for over an hour in the waiting room, and both of the other guys had been and gone since Cloud went into the room. 

He didn’t like the Science Department. Nobody did. The staff were weird and rude, and Hojo was totes creepy. He knew from Angeal that Sephiroth had an aversion to it, and that alone was enough to put him off. If the big guy didn’t like it then was obviously a reason. 

And the fact that Cloud was still in there was worrying. 

The assistant looked up from his clipboard, looking condescendingly over his glass. “It means exactly what I said, SOLDIER. Now please leave.”

Zack frowned, not happy with the answer. “Is he okay? Has something happened?” 

The assistant sighed and rudely walked away, muttering something about SOLDIERs and not listening. 

Zack stood for a moment, unsure of what to do. In normal circumstances, he would have went to Angeal about his concerns, but that was obviously not an option anymore. He needed someone with weight to throw around. 

He considering his options. Sephiroth could maybe help, but would he care to? Zack had only seen him once or twice briefly since Wutai, he wasn’t sure what reaction he would get if he started calling for favours. Maybe he should go over his head. He pulled out his PHS before he could change his mind. It rang for a couple of seconds, before a lady picked up. “Director Lazard’s office.”

“Hey, it’s Zack Fair, I need to speak with the Director please.”

She put him on hold for moment, before there was a beep and a man answered. 

“Zack, what a pleasant surprised. How can I help?”

“Hey Director, something funny is going on in the labs...”

***

Marcus walked out of the SOLDIER building and sighed, a little irritated. 

Stefan was busy with Turk stuff and Darrell was still out on a mission, so he’d thought he would drop in on Cloud to see how he was doing after his Mako treatment. 

That hadn’t gone to plan though. He’d knocked twice on his door, but he’d gotten no answer. He didn’t want to wake him if he was asleep, so he’d left it at that.

He felt a little bit at a loss. All of his friends were moving on to bigger and better things, and he was - a military grunt - lagging behind. He had no natural prowess like Cloud, no athletic build and stamina like Darrell or cunning and charm like Stefan. He was just... Marcus. 

He kicked at a pebble on the floor moodily, his hands shoved in the pockets of his uniform pants. 

Heavy, rushed footsteps from behind made him turn, and he was surprised to see Zack with an unusually serious look on his face coming out of the building behind him. He was moving at pace, so Marcus only had a split second to decide. 

“Hey Zack!”

The raven haired teen swung around to look at him, and Marcus blushed. He didn’t know him all that well, just from the couple of times they’d ran into him with Cloud. 

“Uh hey...uh...sorry.” He motioned to Marcus’s head, and if possible the teen blushed more. 

Of course, he still had his helmet on. He fumbled with the strap under his chin and pulled it off. “Marcus.”

“Oh hey! I didn’t recognise you.”

“Yeah... hey, have you heard from Cloud? I went to check on him but he didn’t answer.”

Zack’s face fell a little as he spoke and he glanced over his shoulder. “Cloud... yeah.” As if deciding something, he turned back to the younger teen and motioned for him to follow him. “Something happened. I was just on my way there actually.”

Marcus felt like the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. Without hesitation, he made to follow. He knew he was slowing Zack down, but he found it difficult to care. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I guess he’s fell into a coma or something.”

“A coma?!” 

“Yeah, it‘s... I’ve never known it to happen. It’s rare.” The lost look on Zack’s face was heartbreaking. “They’ve just moved him to the infirmary so I was on my way over there now.”

“I’m coming with you.”

Zack gave him a sad smile. “I figured you’d want to. Let’s go find out what’s going on.”

***

Zack sat in the conference room, head propped on his elbow miserably. 

Between Angeal disappearing and Cloud falling victim to Mako poisoning, he had been having a shitty couple of weeks.

When Lazard had reached out about the condition of Cloud, the scientists had begrudgingly admitted that Cloud had suffered an adverse reaction to his mako shots and fallen unconscious. The Director had demanded the blonde be moved to the infirmary for medical care, arguing that one of his men did not need to be held in the labs when ShinRa’s doctors were equipped to handle the situation. Unwillingly, they had conceded and Cloud have been moved, and confirmed to be in a coma, likely caused from the mako. 

Zack felt insanely guilty, despite knowing that it wasn’t his fault. Cloud had looked so scared before he’d went in there. His usually schooled expression was so open before him that for the first time he actually looked like the teenager he was. Zack had wished he’d just escorted him out rather than encouraging him to go in, but hindsight was 20/20. He’d had no way of knowing this would happen. 

He’d taken to accepting missions in the slums, no matter what level they were, just to try and take his mind off of things, but he dared not go too far. He liked to drop in on Cloud every other day and chatter away, hoping the boy could hear him. 

The door swooshed open quietly and he sat up, seeing Director Lazard and Sephiroth enter He’d been seeing more of the aptly dubbed ‘Silver General’ recently.

In actual fact, he held no such title, but he did have the workload. 

He was looking more drawn down lately, though the bags under his eyes were barely visible unless you really looked. For all his bravado and cold aloofness when asked, Zack knew he was feeling the loss of his friends, perhaps more than anyone else in ShinRa.

The two took their seats and Lazard shuffled the papers he was carrying. “Good morning Zack. How is your friend doing?”

The teen shrugged gloomily. “Still in a coma, no changes. Thanks again, for getting him moved to the infirmary.”

Lazard hummed, pushing his glasses up his nose. “It’s a shame, I’ve heard he was quite the natural talent. You were right to call, he should be with Doctors, not scientists.”

Zack nodded, glancing at Sephiroth. He was sitting with one leg crossed elegantly over the other, arms loose across his chest. He was staring at the wall with a far away expression. Feeling a gaze on him, he looked at Zack, eyes burning green as his cat like pupils dilated, bringing him into focus. “Yes Fair?”

“I’m just wondering how you’re doing, Sir.”

“I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” His tone brooked no argument, and Zack pressed his lips together. Lazard cleared his throat quietly. 

“I appreciate that you’re both rather busy people - Zack is taking up half of the rostered mission available after all, but I felt it prudent to do this in person.”

The teen looked at him curiously, while Sephiroth continued to absently gaze across the room. 

“Zack, congratulations, I’m promoting you to First Class.”

The teen was stunned, his jaw hanging open as he stared at the Director. Lazard steepled his hands in front of his face with a smile, allowing Zack to gather his thoughts. Sephiroth merely glanced at him and went back to his blank stare. 

“I... whu... I mean, you’re kidding right?”

“No, I’m not.” The Director laughed. “Do you think me that cruel? You’ve been on track for promotion for a while, and you did very well in Wutai all things considered. I think First Class could use a man like you to bolster its ranks.”

Zack was flabbergasted. Such high praise from his superior - Angeal would have been so proud! He deflated a little, at that small thought. “Thank you sir, it’s an honour.”

Lazard nodded. “Sephiroth is here as a witness and-“ he glanced at him, “as the welcoming committee.”

The man looked at Zack once again, looking bored. “Congratulations.”

His voice was so flat, Zack couldn’t help the snort that escaped him. He blushed and scratched him head when cat-like eyes widened a little. “Sorry sir, you just seem so-“ he caught himself at the last minute. “Aheh, um, doesn’t matter.”

Sephiroth raised a perfectly arched brow. “No, please do continue.”

Ah shit. 

“It’s just...you could be a little more... enthusiastic... Sir.”

Sephiroth’s narrowed. “Would you like me to shake your hand and set off some fireworks, Fair?”

Zack shrank back a little under his glare, but didn’t back down. “Kinda, yeah.”

Sephiroth looked a little at a loss at his blatant honesty. For moment, the two of them just looked at each other in silence, before he huffed -  actually huffed \- and stood. “If that’s all, I have business to attend to.”

Lazard pushed his glasses up the bridge of nose, the rims hiding his eyes. “Dismissed.”

In a swirl of black leather and silver hair, he was gone, leaving the pair in silence. 

Lazard looked at Zack, shrugged, and got down to business with the paperwork, with Zack left wondering what the hell had just happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I tend to write this on my smoke breaks at work if I go out by myself, because I get too distracted by doing my nails or playing World of Warcraft at home. Plus, I’ve kept my FanFiction life a secret from everyone I know, as they would definitely not understand it. I don’t why I’m telling you this! Does anyone else keep it a secret?


	14. Chapter 14

More floating. He’d felt like he’d been floating forever. Not through anything, not even air. He couldn’t explain it. He was neither hot nor cold in the blackness, where nothing existed.

Except the whispers. A constant buzzing of noise, like a thousand voices at once, making absolutely no sense whatsoever. 

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been here, wherever here was, and even why. Except for when he heard Zack. 

It was quiet and muffled, like he was talking underwater, but he would know that voice anywhere. Reaching him through the dark haze, babbling about asinine and trivial things, but it felt like something he should hold on to. It stirred his memories. 

He’d felt this way before, when he had been wracked with Mako toxicity. That very same voice, deeper maybe, had been his anchor then too.

Zack was there now, chattering away in the background, barely heard over the other whispers.

He was so tired. His very soul was weary to the core, and he wanted nothing more than to take this as a sign that things were not meant to be and give up. He was not meant to save the Planet. 

When the whispers cut out all of a sudden, he was jolted, so used to the noise that Zack sounded positively loud. 

“Kunsel heard some gossip about Ryans, apparently he drops the soap a lot on purpose-“

“Cloud?” A female voice joined the void. It was warm and wrapped around him like a blanket, also instantly recognisable. He wanted to call out her name, but this wasn’t a physical place. Instead, he name echoed in his head like a heavy sign. ‘ Aerith... ’

“What are you doing hanging around here, silly? You need to wake up.”

It was hard to concentrate, to form a coherent thought, but he pushed on. ‘I don’t want to...’ he thought. 

“Get up sleepy head.”

“-but when Luxerie asked him, he said that the janitor had set him up-“

‘You can’t make me.’  It was getting easier now, he felt less heady. 

He heard a quiet ‘hurmph’, before it felt like something solid was pushing on his very being. “I’ll keep prodding you until you do.”

He would have squirmed away if he could. It was the oddest feeling he’d ever experienced. 

“You can’t ignore me forever.”

He sighed - or at least he felt like he did - and tested the waters.  ‘Fine.’

As soon as he gave his agreement, the darkness seemed to go gray, light filtering through, as if he’d opened his eyes. He reached out to Zacks rambling voice, as everything got brighter. 

“There you go.”

It felt like he was moving through water, rising to surface. 

“Cloud?”

The blonde sat up sharply in his hospital bed, everything coming into focus at once. Vaguely, he heard a yelp, and the a frequent, shrill beeping but they were unimportant. All he had was the last image he had seen with his own eyes, an imprint of Hojo bearing down on him, and he searched frantically for a way out. 

He felt disoriented and confused, and he didn’t know where he was. He leapt up from the bed, feeling wires held down with tape pinging off him as he went, and the shrill beeping turned into a grating flatline as he flattened himself to the wall. 

A hand grabbed for his arm, and out of reflex, he knocked it out of the way and swung blindly, connecting with flesh - hard. Something crunched under his fist and he heard a pained grunt.

He tore across the room, heading for a door, but two people in white coats rushed in. Quickly changing direction, he headed for the window, but before he could reach it, a larger frame wrapped muscular arms around his torso, pinning his arms to his side. 

He started to kick out, but he quickly stopped when the person restraining him shouted in his ear.

“Fuck Spike, will you please calm down before I have to knock you back out!?”

He instantly sagged in Zacks grip, suddenly exhausted as the adrenaline sputtered out as quickly as it had surged. Zack was here, it was okay. 

When the blonde, a dead weight in his arms, seemed like he was no longer a flight risk, Zack spoke again. “I’m gonna let you go now, okay?”

“Okay.” Cloud’s voice was a croak, his throat parched. 

Zack released him, but used one arm to lead him steadily back towards his bed. Cloud allowed himself to be sat down, his fight or flight instincts effectively doused. Now that he was no longer acting on instinct, he was thinking clearer. 

Zack crouched in front of him. “Do you know where you are?”

The blonde shook his head and looked at his friend, his eyes widening at the sight of him. Blood had gushed from both nostrils, making a mess of his mouth and chin. “Did I-“

“Don’t sweat it.” He cut him off. “You’re in the hospital, you’ve been in a coma for two weeks. We were gettin’ real worried about you.”

The Doctors, who had been stood in the doorway torn between shock and awe, stepped in timidly, clearly worried he would lash out again. “SOLDIER Strife, we’d like to check you over to make sure you’re okay.”

It hadn’t been a question, but he nodded his consent anyway. I’m normal circumstances he would avoid Doctors like the plague, but he wasn’t in a lab, that was good enough for him. Let them do what they needed to do. 

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t watching their every move like a haw as they worked, muttering to each other. 

Zack excused himself briefly to get his nose seen to, and by the he came back the doctors were nearly finished. 

When it came to them drawing blood, it took every effort for him to relax. Considering his last experience with a needle was his reason for being there, he thought that was justified. After a couple more checks and asking him how he was feeling, they were finally done, shuffling quickly out of the room, and leaving the pair alone. 

Zack plopped into the chair by the bed sighing loudly with a lazy grin. “It’s a real load off, now that you’re awake, you know. We didn’t know if you would wake up.”

Cloud grunted as he shifted around on the bed to lie back down. Now that the excitement was over, his whole body felt heavy. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“You’re telling me.” Zack looked happily at the blonde. “So how does it feel?

Cloud looked at him confused. “How does what feel?”

Zack tipped him head towards him. “Being enhanced.”

For a second, his heart stopped. 

Cloud shot up off the bed, forgetting his tiredness, and into his little bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, his jaw dropped as glowing pair of blues stared back at him. 

Finally. 

He looked at Zack again, and he couldn’t help the grin that split his face. He’d done it. And he hadn’t even noticed. 

He had his second chance. 

***

Sephiroth frowned at his computer screen, re-reading his latest email from Zack for the 5th time. He’d received a few off the teen since his promotion to First Class. Mostly work related, but there had been the odd invite here and there to go out for beers. He’d studiously ignored those. 

‘Cloud woke up, can you believe it?’

Believe it, indeed. It was almost unprecedented for someone to wake up from a case of Mako Poisoning, let alone with their faculties intact. Those few survivors were left mentally cracked and often requiring assistance to complete the most basic day to day activities.

He had pulled up the relevant doctors reports after that. Among his vitals and test results, were observations from the staff. 

Strife appeared fully coherent and able, and based on their findings he was only being kept in the infirmary overnight as a precaution. They made mention of an incident upon his recovery, that he had a violent reaction upon his regaining conciouanessand appeared frantic, but had concluded it was a result of his Mako treatment and suddenly finding himself in an unfamiliar place.

The Doctors couldn’t find a single thing wrong with him. And the boy didn’t seem at all concerned about his previously comatose state. He had to admit it had him curious. 

So of course he had moved onto his performance record. 

He tapped his pen on the desk and rested his chin on his other hand, staring intently at the the boys mug shot. 

He didn’t look like anything particularly special physically speaking. He was relatively short for his age, athletically build rather than burly, though his hair was rather outlandish - reminiscent of a certain yellow bird. 

He was pegged as Materia marvel, but his physical scores weren’t underwhelming either. His physical scores had progressed steadily, and he had already showed strong underlying technique with a sword, though he had difficulty with the correct execution on occasion. That had given Sephiroth pause. Prior training perhaps? It wasn’t unheard of. 

For all intents and purposes, the boy had the makings of a prodigy. 

Yes...curious indeed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s funny to see the mix of people who do or don’t tell people IRL about their fan fiction life. I wish I could, but I kind of like the idea of this little community no one knows I’m part of.
> 
> So I was thinking of doing a sort of challenge. If there are any scenes that people would like to see/challenge me to do, I’m all ears. I was thinking I could either work them into the story, or perhaps do a sort of side story that people sometimes do. What do you think?


	15. Chapter 15

Cloud lay on his bed, arms by his side and staring up at the ceiling. Over the last 24 hours, he’d been periodically checked on by the medical staff, who continued to marvel at his miraculous recovery and subsequent lack of side effects to Mako poisoning, much to his chagrin. 

It was a little surprising even to him that he wasn’t suffering at all, but he supposed that had more to do with Aerith and/or the Planet than with his own resilience given his past history. 

At one point during the night, he’d taken a moment to stand in front of the bathroom mirror again. The light was switched off and it was dark, so the glow of his eyes stood out in the blackness. 

People who hadn’t met a SOLDIER before often imagined their eyes to be a blinding beacon, but the reality was that they weren’t  that bright. They didn’t light up the room like people thought. It was a subtle glow, one he hadn’t realised he’d missed. 

Back in bed, between naps, he’d watched the clock slowly tick by towards the end of the observation period. It was only due to the fact that he was trying to maintain as low a profile as possible that he wasn’t kicking up a fuss to be let out early. 

On the plus side, it gave him plenty of time to think. Part one of his plan was complete, but he realised now that he hadn’t really much thought into what he was going to do after. He’d played with the idea of deserting, heading back to the mountains to collect Vincent and destroy Jenova. Realistically though, he could do without having Shin-Ra on his ass to make things more difficult. He’d have to wait until he knew what he was capable of anyway.

Leaving Midgar would still leave the issue of Sephiroth and Hojo as well. No, he was better off biding his time, fact finding. He was no Turk, tactical espionage was not in his wheel house, but surely he could find something useful before he jumped ship. 

By morning, he had a loose plan. He had to do some recon on Hojo first and foremost. After the nurses had come in to do his morning check up, he changed into the uniform Zack had left him, so he was ready to high tail it out of the at the earliest opportunity. 

He was back lying on the bed when there was a knock on the door, and he turned to look as Zack popped his head in with a grin. “How’s my favourite Chocobo doing?”

Cloud made a choice gesture with his middle finger that had Zack chuckling as he entered the room proper. “Someone’s cranky.”

“Can I go yet?”

“Soon.” Zack plopped down into the visitors chair and kicked his feet up onto the bed. “I asked on the way in and they said 10am.”

Cloud glanced at the clock - 45 minutes to go. At least he had Zack for company.

He glanced at the teen, taking in his relaxed appearance, despite the fact that just yesterday Cloud had attacked him in a savage display of fight or flight. “How’s the nose?”

Zack smirked, tweaking the appendage with his thumb. “Good as new. Thank Gaia for Cure and SOLDIER healing, huh?”

Cloud hummed and returned his gaze to the ceiling. “Don’t you have work to do or something?”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Zack cross his arms, a pout on his lips. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you wanted rid of me.”

****

The time passed by in idle chatter. It turned out his friends had come to see him just as often as Zack had, but now that he was awake they were under strict instructions not to harass him until he was released. Apparently Zack had put his foot down on that one, because he hadn’t heard a thing from them. 

He was glad that he’s had the foresight to do so to be honest - he really didn’t need the additional excitement while he had been sorting through the events that had put him here in his head. He would catch up with them soon enough. 

When the time finally came, a doctor dropped by to officially discharge him. Cloud was on his feet and out of the infirmary before the ink dried on his forms. 

As he went to turn towards the stairs, wanting to work off his pent up energy from laying around, Zack grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him the other way. Cloud made a noise of protest, but Zack cut him off at the pass. “Nu-uh, not yet. Lazard wants to see you before anything else.”

“The Director?” Cloud questioned, allowing himself to be pulled along by the older boy in his shock. 

“Yep.” Zack grinned over his shoulder at him. “Pretty cool huh?”

Cool was not the word Cloud would use to describe the situation. 

Zack ushered him into an elevator and hit the button for the executive floor, rocking on the balls of his feet impatiently. Cloud shifted nervously from one foot to the other, watching the numbers tick by as he mentally raced through all of the possible reasons for this turn of events. 

He surely wasn’t going to be kicked out of the program. No, they wouldn’t have just let him lie around in the infirmary if that were the case. So what did Lazard Deusericus want? 

Zack glanced over his shoulder at him, giving him an encouraging look. “It’s all good, nothing to worry about!” A matter of opinion in Cloud’s mind. 

After what felt like an hour but was more probably only a minute, there was a chime and the doors swooshed open. Zack bounced forward, with Cloud following unhappily in his wake. He stood back as Zack shamelessly flirted with the Lazard’s secretary for a moment, saying things that made him cringe internally, before he motioned for him to follow. 

The Directors office was modern and sleek, with a large but plain wooden desk set in the middle towards the back, and two hard looking chairs in front of it, that looked as though they existed purely to make users not want to hang around too long. 

“Ah Zack!” Lazard said as they entered. 

Cloud took in his profile, having never actually met the man before in either lifetime - that he could recall anyway. He was tall and reed thin, with glasses and shoulder length blonde hair, and he wore a striped, muted indigo blazer and beige pants, with a pair of shined brown shoes. Not what you would expect for the Director of SOLDIER. 

He stood and walked around the desk, approaching the pair with a warm smile. “And you must be Strife.”

He offered him a hand. Cloud stared at it for a moment, before hesitantly shaking it. “Good morning, Director.”

Lazard took a step back and leant again his desk elegantly, crossing his feet at the ankles. “How pleasing. Your reports stated you already had a good grasp of your motor skills post-enhancement.” He held his hand back up. “The fact that my hand is still in working order supports that. You’ve been through quite the ordeal though, Strife. How are you feeling?”

Cloud met his gaze, still suspicious of why he had been called to attend. “Fine, Sir.”

“Good!” He clapped his hands together once. “I must say, you’ve made quite the splash here. We’re lucky to have you in our numbers.”

Cloud didn’t say anything, unsure of what the point of all this was. The blonde knew nothing about Lazard or his motives to understand him as a person. His comments were odd at best, but he could just be an eccentric guy. With the way Lazard was looking at him, he knew he expected a response, but he didn’t really know what to say. 

He glanced at Zack, who was being suspiciously quiet. The other teen was standing at ease, arms crossed against his chest with a knowing smile on his face. 

He looked back at the Director. “That... wasn’t my intention.”

True enough. He’d wanted to blend in, not stand out. 

Lazard smiled - it wasn’t unkind, and Cloud relaxed a little. “I think it’s a little late for that. I don’t know if you know this or not, but during probationary periods, fellow SOLDIERs are to make notes in mission reports about performance. From what I’m seeing, you’re leaving a lasting impression on a number of my SOLDIERs, for all you’re quite... reserved.”

Zack snorted quietly, and Cloud felt the blush creeping up his neck. That sounded like Lazard’s diplomatic attempt to nudge him to ‘make friends and be part of the team’.

“I’m also hearing from Zack and your other tutors that you have a lot of natural prowess and promise. I’d like,” he continued, “to offer you a promotion to Second Class. For posterity, there are some hoops we’d need to jump through, such as completing some post-enhancement missions for example, but I’m confident based on what I’ve seen that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Cloud couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Barely 24 hours ago, he’d woken up from a Mako induced coma and broke a colleagues nose, and now his boss wanted to offer him a promotion? Was the world mad?

Cloud shook his head in disbelief. “Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think-“

The shrill tone of Lazard’s desk phone cut him off, and the blonde man reached back to pick it up. He listened for a second and hummed, before muttering a quick ‘send him in’. 

When he put the phone down, Cloud went to pick up where he left off, but Lazard held up a hand. “Rest assured, this is all above board. You’ve already proven you have the knowledge and skill to make it as a Second Class, we just need to know if and how your Mako treatment is going to effect that. This isn’t about stepping on anyone’s toes or nepotism.”

When the door behind him clicked open, he felt the hair rise on the back of his neck and a tingle ran down his spine. A faint buzzing started in his ears as he could practically feel someone’s gaze drilling into his back.

“Ah Sephiroth, I’m glad you could join us.”

Past memories had his hand clenching around a non-existent sword hilt as every muscle in his body tensed. 

“Director. Fair.”

That smooth baritone voice slid over him like velvet as he felt goosebumps rise on his arms. 

“Hey man, it’s a been a little while.” Zack said cheerfully. “This is Cloud. The one I’ve been telling you about.”

Zack had been telling Sephiroth about him? This was problematic in every way imaginable. Why was he even here in the first place?

“It’s rude not to look at someone when you’re being introduced SOLDIER.” Cloud’s thoughts came to a grinding halt.  SEPHIROTH of all people was commenting on his etiquette - and not in the mocking or tantalising manner that he had come to know. No, this was a superior officer chastising an insubordination. 

He realised he had taken a moment too long to revel in his shock. He jerkily turned around to look the man in the eye. 

This was different than that time at the Costa del Sol dock. He wasn’t overcome by mad visions of their past or feelings of dread. 

In Cloud’s younger body, the man was more imposing than ever, already at his physical peak. His silver bangs fell about his face, but did nothing to hide his cat-like eyes. Up close though, dispute his impressive presence, their was undeniable youthfulness to his features. Hardly rounded and soft from childhood, but certainly not the points and deep contours from Clouds last clash with him. 

When they locked eyes, Cloud’s heart skipped a beat. They were still cold, and telling of having experienced more than his young years would suggest, but there was no malice or lunacy it fanaticism. 

No. The man looked positively bored and put out by the whole thing, with total lack of recognition that was jarring to say the least. 

It left Cloud feeling confused and totally out of sync. He didn’t know how to act with this Sephiroth. Despite thinking on it for weeks, and mentally readying himself to come face to face with him, this was not how he expected it to be, so casual. So unimportant. 

He felt  insulted . 

Sephoriths brow furrowed ever so slightly, eyes roving over the blondes features just as much as the others were on him.

A quiet cough from Zack brought him back to reality. How long had he just been standing there silently staring?

He straightened his spine, shoulders back as he looked his former idol directly in the eye. Too little, to late maybe after that poor display. But he’d be damned if he let Sephiroth think he frightened him. Too many people did that already, and he wouldn’t be one of them. 

“Good afternoon, Sir.” Cloud said finally, an unintentional edge to his voice. He snapped him mouth closed, gritting his teeth. 

The air was thick with tension as the pair continued to stare in silence at each other, neither blinking or moving a muscle. A silent contest, as if Sephiroth was daring him to balk under his looming presence, and Cloud stubbornly refusing to. 

“Cloud’s getting promoted to Second Class.” It appeared Zack was trying break the ice somewhat, but it had no effect. 

“I’m aware.” Still their eyes didn’t stray. 

“Well, now that we’re all acquainted...” Lazard spoke, fiddling with his glasses a little. That seemed enough for Sephiroth to ease back a little, breaking their eye contact to glance at the Director.

“At ease.” The Silver General moved, the picture of grace, to lean against a set of drawers by the wall, crossing his arms and one foot over the other so casually that it made Cloud’s eye twitch with annoyance.

He turned back to the Director, seething, with his hands clasped together at the small of his back to keep them from shaking. 

“I have other business with Sephiroth, but I thought it prudent to introduce you, assuming you haven’t met yet. Second Class SOLDIER’s are often deployed out with higher ranking colleagues.” That at least explained why the man was here now, but he would have rather this entire ordeal had been saved for a later date. “Now that Zack is First Class-“

Cloud didn’t miss a beat, head whipping up to look at his friend. Gaia, he was right. He was so used to seeing Zack in black in his own time, he hadn’t even noticed the change in uniform. When did that...?

“You were in a coma,” Zack shrugged, grinning. “I thought you would have noticed.”

Lazard chuckled. “As I was saying, now that Zack is First Class, he may not be able to spend as much time with you, so it may be prudent to engage with more of the Second Classes to help you acclimate before the promotion. 

“No problems Director!” Zack pipped up again. “My friends would love a new sparring buddy! But I’ll always make time for Spikey.” He winked. 

“You’re still green.” Sephiroth’s smooth baritone came from the side. Cloud glanced at him instinctively. The large man looked pretty casual. His head was dipped so that his bangs fell forward and hid his face. Cloud snapped his eyes forward again. “Just because you’re being promoted quickly, it doesn’t mean you’re better than any of our other Seconds.”

‘How hypocritical.’ He thought snidely, offering an “Of course Sir” through his clenched jaw. 

After a brief silence, when it was clear that neither Cloud nor Sephiroth were going to offer anything further, Lazard pushed off the desk to stand. “Okay, if there’s nothing else, then you’re dismissed.”

Cloud didn’t hang around, quickly saluting and escaping the room, desperate to put some distance between himself and the man of his nightmares. Zack had to jog to catch up, not expecting Cloud to practically flee from the room. “Wait up Spike!”

Cloud let out a deep breathe as the elevator doors shut behind them and they began their descent. 

What the fuck was that? He closed his eyes and breathed through his nose, trying to sort through the bizarre range of the emotions he had just experienced. 

He almost jumped at the shrill whine Zack let out. “Stop ignoring meeeee.”

“Sorry,” he said quickly, scratching his head and feeling a little guilty at his ignorance. He tried to push his thoughts back to revisit later. In private. “What did you say?”

“I was saying,” he drawled, “This is a helluva thing to write home about. I bet your ‘rents’ll be stoked.”

Cloud hummed, the guilt piling on more. He’d yet to send any letters to his mother since he’d come to Midgar. She didn’t even know his address to write to. It was a weird concept, to remember that she was around, that he could reach out to her. For so many years he’d known she was gone, and without her right there in front of him, it was surprisingly difficult to remember. “I should probably send my Mom a letter.”

“What about your Pop?”

Cloud shrugged. “Never knew him.”

Zack visibly sagged. “Ah sorry Spike. That sucks. But you should definitely let your Mom know.” He stepped up close and jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow. “Tell her that her little boy is growing up.”

The blonde shoved him away with his shoulder. “Shut up Zack.”

***

Sephiroth finally left Lazard’s office after a particularly boring discussion about Heidegger’s current machinations with the Military. 

The big oaf had been trying to get SOLDIER under his command since day one, but thankfully the President had more sense than to allow that - so far anyway. He may have been an excellent soldier once upon a time, but he’d passed his hey day. Despite his and the Presidents...ideals... being aligned, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he wanted power and control.President ShinRa was a clever man, and knew better than to give gun control over ShinRa’s entire military and SOLDIER power combined. 

As he made his way to his office, his thoughts wandered elsewhere. 

In the past, Sephiroth has ignored Zack’s babble about his protege, one reason being because of Angeal. It was a subtle reminder that he had done the very same thing about Zack not so long ago. 

His last friend had gone. Left him alone, abandoned. He chose Genesis over him. He’d always known it would happen, they grew up together in Banora and had come to Midgar together. Sephiroth was just the strange boy they had come across, and Angeal had felt sorry for him. 

Genesis saw him as a rival, and Angeal saw him as a pity project. But he didn’t need his pity. 

He pushed aside the anger that bubbled just below the surface at the thought of it, and turned his attention back to Strife. 

The blonde became extraordinarily more interesting the moment he woke up from his Mako poisoning induced coma. 

He hadn’t expected to run into the blonde in Lazard’s office, but he was glad that he had. 

He was sharp. That much Sephiroth could tell, just by looking into his eyes. But what was odd was how the blonde how the boy had reacted. 

At first, he seemed confused - not like the ‘omg why is Sephiroth here?!?!’ confused he was used to, but more like what he was seeing was  wrong somehow. Like he didn’t recognise him. 

And then he’d drawn himself to his full height. In stature, he didn’t change, but his presence suddenly seemed larger. Older than his image would suggest, jaded. He’d looked him in the eye with no fear at all, like it was nothing. 

And the challenge had been clear. 

Ultimately, meeting him it had increased his curiosity, rather than sated it. 

He stalked through the corridor, ignoring the gazes of others as he passed, to head to his office to finish up his tasks for the day. 

From the day he had joined SOLDIER, his advancement through the ranks had been swift, despite his young age. In his teens, the war in Wutai was in full swing and he’d spent many years moving from battlefield to battlefield. 

As as things were beginning to wind down years later, and the bulk of SOLDIERs had been withdrawn, including himself, he had been given a shiny new office and a bunch of administrative duties he’d never wanted. 

His keen strategic mind and combat prowess had elevated him above even his colleagues. While some had been bitter at being overtaken by a teenager, he had forged their respect and become an unofficial point of authority. 

As Lazard had put it across to him, his efficient and logical mind would make child’s play of most tasks, but that had only resulted in more work. Suddenly the nickname ‘General’ had started to feel more real, even if it wasn’t. 

He entered his office and closed the door quietly behind him, happy if only for the peace the room offered. 

He had no doubt he would be deployed again in the near future. With two of their strongest First Classes going rogue and off the grid, he would no doubt be the one sent out to collect them. 

Or kill them.

He moved to large window, looking out across the Midgar skyline and the dull grey clouds that perpetually hovered above the city. His thoughts, refusing to dwell on the inevitable, returned yet again to a certain SOLDIER Third Class.

Skilled and knowledgeable, an unheard of reaction to Mako treatments and absolutely no fear of the Demon of Wutai. 

Was he perhaps a prodigy like himself?

Their had been whispers and rumblings that AVALANCHE had been awfully quiet recently, and had allied themselves with a lot of unsavoury characters, one of which was a mad scientist. His paranoid, military focused mind had him consider that maybe he was their handiwork. 

What were the chances though? Slim to none. 

Food for thought maybe, something to ponder.He moved towards his desk, eyes lingering on the view from his window as he turned. 

He had work to do, so there would be time for that later. 

****

“Man, that was a bust.” Reno huffed, collapsing into one of the chairs around the large table, looking irritated. 

He had his nightstick in hand, bouncing it on his shoulder as he shot a haughty look at his boss across the room, who had barely glanced in his direction when he’d entered. 

Given, he seemed to have barged in on a report, but that didn’t bother him. Shotgun, a pretty little lady Turk was giving him a dirty look - her report he’d interrupted then - and tossed her sandy blonde hair out of he face, her long high ponytail swaying. 

“You’ll get your turn Reno.” Tseng said appeasingly. “You were saying Shotgun?”

“It was all talk. They have zero credible affiliation with AVALANCHE. Either they were trying to show off in a bar or someone doesn’t like them and wanted to get them in trouble. They’ve been warned.”

How ominous, Reno thought snidely. Shotgun had a penchant for the dramatics, so not doubt her weapon had been put to good use. 

“Very well, if that’s all.”

Shotgun sniffed indignantly. “I don’t know why we’re wasting our time on these dead ends. Surely there’s real work to be done.”

“Always,” Tseng nodded. “But one day they’ll slip up and one of these leads won’t be a dead end. How embarrassing it would be, if the Turks missed it.”

She huffed, aware that there was no room for argument with that, but wanting her irritation to be clear. She stood, dusting her trousers delicately, and left them room. She didn’t even so much as spare a glance to him as she passed. 

The redhead grumbled again, slouching even further into his chair, fiddling with the controls on his weapon. Rude, his partner, had followed him in and placed himself by the door. His folded arms and ever-present sunglasses gave little away, so it was unclear to Tseng whether there job had really been a bust, or if Reno was having his own dramatic episode. 

He sighed almost silently. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Reno bit out, “That’s tha problem.”

Tseng looked to Rude as Reno continued to sulk. The dark skinned man shrugged, “Nothing worth noting. He hasn’t come back.”

“I hate watchin’ the Ancient, all she does is play with her little garden an’ help people out in Sector 5. It’s so borin’ it hurts.”

“Enough Reno.” Tseng was not in the mood for his complaining today. “So Strife hasn’t been back since that one visit? Are we sure?”

“Positive.”

Tseng hummed. When he’d first heard that Strife had been visiting with Aerith Gainsborough, he was shocked to say the least. What were the chances that someone they were watching would happen upon their most precious charge, out of all of the people in the city of Midgar. 

The Turk who had been checking in on Aerith at the time had said it was innocent enough. Just a teenage boy walking a pretty girl home. Strife’s file held nothing that should be considered suspicious or worrisome. He’d originally been considered as a potential valuable asset alongside their newest recruit, but when that plan was effectively veto’d, he’d become interesting in a different way. 

Now with an unprecedented reaction to Mako poisoning added into the mix, he became more interesting still. 

“Okay,” he nodded, “Leave that for now. We will continue to monitor the situation via a different method.”

“Oh?” Reno grinned wolfishly, “And what method would that be?”

“One I’m sure you’ll enjoy a lot more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m alive I promise, and I haven’t abandoned this story! I’ve had another couple of bad months with my mental health and it really kicks my arse. Had to change my tablets because they just stopped working. It’s mainly work that gets to me, and I really wish it didn’t because there’s more to life. 
> 
> But anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter.


End file.
